FIRAT ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SERVICES
Hillcroft, Station Road, Rhu, By Helensburgh, G84 8LW, Argyll, Scotland
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief
For
Tom Quinn, Architect, QD Design For Fleetfern Ltd Jaeger 99 Ltd and The Budda Group
October 2004
Director: Fiona M.C. Baker BA, FSAScot. Tel: 01436 820 334 Fax: 01436 820 051 Email: [email protected]
3 High Street, Dumbarton
CONTENTS PAGE Figure 1: Site location plan 2
Introduction 3
A Brief Background History of Dumbarton 3
The Map Evidence
Figure 2: Historical Maps 6 1820 John Wood’s Map 1860 First Edition OS Map 1896 Second Edition OS map 1914 Ordnance Survey map 1936 Ordnance Survey map 1965 Ordnance Survey map
Discussion of Map Evidence 7
McMillan’s Shipyard 9
The Archaeological Watching Brief 18 The Standing Building 18 Figure 3: Site plan showing areas of archaeological watching brief 19 The Excavation Trenches in the Building Interior 20 The Foundation Trenches 20
Figure 4: Photograph of N façade of 3 High Street 27 Figure 5: Photograph of completed excavation of lift pit in interior 27 Figure 6. Photograph of excavations at E end of main E-W trench 28 Figure 7. Photograph of excavations at W end of the main E-W trench 28 Figure 8. Photograph of W section of main N-S trench 29 Figure 9. Photograph of section showing natural sand and gravel in main N-S trench 29
Summary and Conclusions 30
Discovery and Excavation in Scotland entry 31
Report Distribution 32
Contents and Location of the Project Archive 32
Acknowledgements 32
Bibliography 32
Archive Material 33
Drawings List 33 Finds List 33 Feature List 34 Photograph Lists 34 Contact Addresses 36
Firat Archaeological Services 2
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Introduction
Proposals to redevelop the old Procurator Fiscals’ office at 3 High Street Dumbarton (NGR NS 3970 7518) required that an archaeological watching brief of the excavation works for new foundations and services was carried out. The site at 3 High Street is within the medieval burgh of Dumbarton and because of the possibility of locating medieval or later archaeological remains the condition for an archaeological watching brief was placed on the planning consent.
The old Procurator Fiscals Office has been redeveloped by the Budda Group to create a new bar and bistro / restaurant. As part of this redevelopment an extension to house new service areas and also a conservatory along the south and west sides of the standing building required foundation trenches to be excavated. The excavations of the foundation trenches and for service pipes and the bottom of a lift pit / stairwell inside the building were monitored by an archaeological watching brief. The archaeological watching brief was carried out by Fiona Baker of Firat Archaeological Services on 19, 21 and 22 January 2004. FAS were commissioned to undertake the work by the project architect Tom Quinn.
The site construction work was carried out by Scottbridge contractors.
A Brief Background History of Dumbarton
Dumbarton sits at the mouth of the River Leven flowing south from Loch Lomond at its confluence with the River Clyde. The town is dominated by Dumbarton Rock, a volcanic basalt plug, which was the ancient fortress of the Britons, Dun Breatann, and the kings of Strathclyde had their fortress at Dumbarton Rock (Alt Cluith) from around 450 AD. The natural defences provided by the rock and its location at the mouth of the Leven on the Clyde, and the natural ford at Dumbuck made Dumbarton a strategic location.
The heart of the town, the medieval burgh, lies on a promontory created by a great curve in the River Leven. King Alexander II established the royal burgh of Dumbarton in 1222. The essentially medieval lay-out of Dumbarton is clearly evident on the 1820 Town Map (Figure 2), which shows the burgage plots and it was only in the 1960s redevelopment of Dumbarton town centre that this medieval town plan was severely altered. The Rock continued as an important royal stronghold throughout the medieval period and its strategic and topographic location has meant that Dumbarton has played a leading role in Scotland’s history throughout the Early Historic Period and Medieval periods.
Vikings besieged the capital of the Britons on more than one occasion, most notably for four months in 870AD. The importance and wealth of Alt Cluith (Clyde Rock) as the capital of the Britons, described as an ‘urbs’ (city) by Bede in 731, is clearly attested by the accounts of the Viking attack. It took 200 longships to transport all the booty and British, English and Pictish captive slaves back to Olaf the White’s seat of power in Dublin. That booty would have included trade items from as far away as the Mediterranean. Excavations on the Rock have recovered luxury goods dating back to the 6th century including fragments of wine amphorae from the eastern Mediterranean and, one of the ultimate luxury goods of the 6th century, drinking glasses from the Rhineland.
Firat Archaeological Services 3
3 High Street, Dumbarton
At the end of the 9th century, after the Viking raids, there is very little information on the 10th century Kingdom of Strathclyde, although one can be certain that Dumbarton Rock was never abandoned. Although the archaeological evidence is scarce, such a naturally defensive site in a major strategic location would not have been unoccupied for long. We do know that a King of Scots fell in battle against the Britons in 971 AD but by 1018 King Malcolm II set his son Duncan on the throne of Strathclyde. In 1034, Duncan himself became King of Scots and the Kingdom of Strathclyde was fully integrated into the Scottish Kingdom.
During the 12th century the Rock was in the possession of the Earl of Lennox but shortly after Alexander II created Dumbarton a royal burgh in 1222 the rock became a royal fortress in 1238. During the medieval period the castle was besieged on numerous occasions, court intrigues were played out and many important and influential events in Scottish history centred on Dumbarton Castle. The importance of Dumbarton in Scotland’s medieval history is considerable and beyond the brief summary information given here. In the late 1480s the Stewart Earl of Lennox, Keeper of the Castle and Sheriff of Dumbarton, took up arms against King James IV. Once the king had quashed this rebellion, burning most of the town in the process, Dumbarton became a major royal seat and James IV developed it as a shipbuilding and outfitting centre for his navy. James IV launched his campaigns against the Lords of the Isles from Dumbarton and, via politics; it became the Gateway to France and played a pivotal role in the life of Mary Queen of Scots. As a royal castle, Dumbarton was often at the centre of dramatic and far reaching events.
The granting of royal burghal status gave the residents of Dumbarton certain rights and privileges such as control of shipping and trade on the Clyde in the medieval period. Due to the town’s close proximity to the royal centre of Castle Rock and as a gateway to central Scotland, Loch Lomond’s natural resources and the west coast it was a centre of trade. The proximity of the defensive Rock made Dumbarton an ideal place to develop a burgh. However, the tendency of the Leven to flood and Dumbarton’s location out in the ‘wild west’ meant settlers had to be attracted to the new burgh. It was customary for no burghal dues to be paid to the King while a new royal burgh was settled and developed; this period of time was known as ‘kirseth’. This period of time was normally for one year and one day but Dumbarton was grated kirseth for five years which suggests it wasn’t considered the most promising location. Some of the earliest settlers were of Flemish origin.
The rights and privileges granted to a royal burgh were designed to make it a wealthy centre of trade. For example, a rural hinterland was ‘allocated’ to the burgh over which it had a trade monopoly. In the case of Dumbarton this area included all of the Lennox as far east as Garscube and as far west as the head of Loch Fyne. The burgh levied tolls and customs on ships sailing between the head of Loch Long and the Water of Kelvin. In 1222, Dumbarton was granted the right to have a guild merchant who was responsible for overseeing all overseas trade and trading practices in the market. This was one of the earliest appointments of a guild merchant in Scotland and indicates the value of trade to the burgh. One of the most valuable trade commodities to Dumbarton in the medieval period was herring.
Firat Archaeological Services 4
3 High Street, Dumbarton
The main roads of the medieval burgh were High Street, Church Street (formerly Kirk Vennel) and College Street (formerly Cross Vennel). To the north the Broad Meadow was an area of bog prone to flooding by the Leven as is clearly shown on Wood’s 1820 map (Figure 2). The heart of the medieval burgh was to the west from the Old Parish Church (now Riverside Church) at the junction of Church Street and High Street and curved around to about Bridge Street. When the Broad Meadow was flooded the burgh was almost an island surrounded by water on three sides.
The lay out of the medieval burgage plots is still clearly shown on Wood’s 1820 map. Short plots ran south from High Street to the river and on the north side of High Street long thin plots, which were broader at the street front and narrowed towards the rear to accommodate the bend of High Street that reflected the curve of the river. The Market Place was at the junction of High Street and Cross Vennel. There is no evidence of Dumbarton having a town wall, which is unusual in Scotland anyway, and no trace of a ditch and palisade enclosure has been found.
Dumbarton grew rich between the 13th and 17th centuries. The construction of Port Glasgow as the dedicated port of Glasgow in the mid 17th century and the 18th century navigation works on the Clyde to allow direct shipping access to Glasgow saw foreign trade in the town come to an end by the later 17th century. In 1681 the town was described as ‘under much decay both as to (its) former traffic and number of substantious and qualified inhabitants’. However, although things got worse before they got better, shipbuilding was a long established trade in Dumbarton. Although rather eclipsed by the shipyards further up the river, the firm of William Denny and Brothers flourished in the mid and late 19th century and the quality of Dumbarton’s ships such as the ‘Cutty Sark’ (1869) was widely respected. Following the demise of the royal centre and port in the 17th century Dumbarton became famous in the late 18th century for the Dumbarton Glassworks Company founded in 1777 which was the largest producer of glass in Scotland. However, there were only 1,850 people living in the burgh according to the Statistical Account of 1790 and it was not until the 19th century and developments such as the industrial revolution and the railway that the town grew in size.
Firat Archaeological Services 5
3 High Street, Dumbarton
The Map Evidence
The earliest available plan of Dumbarton was drawn up in 1777 by Charles Ross, probably due to the foundation of the glass and chemical works in the same year. It does not give any detail on the layout of the burgh and it is John Wood’s 1820 map (Figure 2) that gives the best information on the site 200 years ago. The pattern of the medieval burgh is clearly evident with long narrow burghage plots focused on the junction of High Street and Cross Vennel. The long plots shown on the map suggest the land division extends back into the medieval period and these back lots were probably used for agricultural purposes and small scale industrial use on the edge of the focus of settlement. It is of note that the burghage plots are shorter at the E end of the High Street running down to the sandy shore of the River Leven.
The 1820 map by John Wood shows the development site as occupied by three burghage plots belonging, from W to E, to William ?Wilson, Colquhoun and Pat. Mitchell. Each plot extended all the way S to the river and each plot had a building at the street frontage on to High Street. On the westernmost plot (?Wilson) a second building is shown aligned N-S and set back from the street frontage. On the middle plot, (Colquhoun) a N-S aligned building is attached to the W side of the building on to the street frontage. On the easternmost plot (Mitchell) a building is also attached to the W side of the main building at the street frontage. Of these buildings only the southern building on the westernmost plot might have been located during the watching brief and it maybe represented by the sandstone walls found in this area although it is more likely that the walls found during the watching brief represent the structures shown on the 1896 - 1965 OS maps. The remains of the other buildings lie underneath the Procurator Fiscals building.
The First Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1860 shows the lines of the medieval burghage plots and also indicates six buildings stood on the site. The site has been developed quite considerably in the forty years since Wood’s map. The buildings at the street frontage remain as do the two N-S aligned buildings attached to the SW corners of the main buildings at the street frontage. A number of new structures have been added and in general the map shows the addition of a number of ancillary buildings in the back lots. It also appears as though an alley is present at what was possibly the boundary between the Colquhoun and Mitchell plots, which suggests the street frontage may have been altered but the details on the 1820 map do not give as much detail as the Ordnance Survey maps and it is more likely there always was an alley way here. The ground plans of the buildings on the street frontage may not have changed at all but it is clear that the site had seen an increase in development. It is also of note that the timber yard to the S of the site and the location of the shipyard where the distillery was later developed are clearly indicated. The shoreline at the River Leven is also clearly shown as extending further N than it does today.
The 1896 Second Edition Ordnance Survey map indicates that the dock yard has been expanded since 1860 and that the land to the S of the burghage plots has been infilled and the timber yard is no longer annotated and has been incorporated into the dock yard. The development site has been completely altered and the buildings shown in 1820 and 1860 have been demolished and replaced with three buildings that adjoin each other in the E part of the site and one building in the W part of the site. The E building has the same footprint as the Procurator Fiscal Building and would tie in with the documentary evidence that McMillan’s Shipyard offices were built on the site in the 1880s. The Firat Archaeological Services 6
3 High Street, Dumbarton internal subdivisions of the building indicate the original layout of the building and that it was altered internally between 1896 and 1914. The buildings are separated by a clearly delineated lane leading down to the river. A tram line is shown running NW from the dockyard to the SW corner of the E building where it terminates but would have had access into the lane and from there on to the main road network. The building on the corner of High Street immediately to the E of the development site is identified as a Public House for the first time.
The 1914 OS map shows the lane now identified and named as Churchyard Lane running along the W side of the E building. This map indicates that the eastern structure has been amalgamated into one building covering the same footprint as the Procurator Fiscal building by this time. This map also shows the tram line running up to the SW corner of the building from the shipyard as was shown on the 1896 map. On the W side of Churchyard Lane the building shown is the same as on the 1896 map.
The 1936 – 37 OS map indicates the site is much the same as it was in 1914 with the footprints of the E and W buildings shown as occupying the same positions with Churchyard Lane in between them. At the SE corner of the E buildings, the Procurator Fiscal building, a new building is shown abutting the property boundary wall. This structure is probably represented by the sandstone wall, F7, located during the watching brief. The structure on the W part of the site shows no major alterations to the basic plan except that the building on the street frontage appears to have been sub divided. It is of note that the tramline is no longer present and the dock yard is no longer annotated as such and it has been redeveloped with a number of large buildings (Hiram Walker Distilery). Churchyard Lane no longer runs all the way down to the river and it terminates at one of the new buildings on the former dock yard.
The next available OS map of 1965 identifies the new buildings shown on the dock yard in 1936 as part of the Distillery. The footprint of the Procurator Fiscal building is the same except the small structure shown at the SE corner in 1936 has been demolished. The interior of the building is shown as sub divided and a corridor, probably a raised conveyor or passageway, runs between the distillery buildings and the Procurator Fiscal building which was owned and used by the distillery at this time. A dotted line along the rear of the building probably indicates an area of hard standing or perhaps the fence line that was present on site at the start of the watching brief. Churchyard Lane is still present although it is no longer named and its alignment has changed to accommodate the distillery buildings. The structure on the W side of the site has also been altered with the rear, S, part of the building demolished and replaced with two smaller structures.
Between 1965 and the next OS map of the 1980s the town centre of Dumbarton was radically redeveloped At the development site the Procurator Fiscal building has remained as shown since the 1896 OS map with the passage way from the distillery buildings entering it on the S side as shown in 1965. The building that stood on the W side of Churchyard Lane has been demolished at some time after 1965 and by the 1980s the OS mapping shows a vacant lot in this area.
In summary the map evidence indicates that the development site occupies the northern part of three of the original medieval burghage plots. The ground plan of the Procurator Fiscal building has remained constant since 1896 and the western part of the site was only cleared of structures after 1965.
Firat Archaeological Services 7
3 High Street, Dumbarton
McMillan’s Shipyard
The Procurator Fiscal building converted by the Budda Group was originally the office for McMillan’s Shipyard and it was built in 1881-1888. The neo-classical style of the building perhaps reflects the competition between McMillans and Dennys not only in shipbuilding but also in how well appointed their office buildings were.
McMillans occupied a number of sites in the town including the land immediately to the S of the development site down to the river. The main dockyard was where the distillery buildings now stand.
McMillans went bust in 1932 and the building was taken over by Hiram Walker Distillers in c. 1937-38 when the main distillery was built.
The articles reproduced below gives a brief history of McMillans.
Firat Archaeological Services 8
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 9
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 10
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 11
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 12
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 13
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 14
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 15
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 16
3 High Street, Dumbarton
The Archaeological Watching Brief
The archaeological watching brief was carried out by Fiona Baker of Firat Archaeological Services and took place on 19, 21 and 22 January 2004. The excavations were carried out by Scottbridge contractors under the direction of site foreman Gus MacCallum. The excavations were undertaken using a mini-digger and also by hand. The weather was generally dry and overcast with some sunny spells.
The excavations consisted of a continuous foundation trench along the S and W sides of the standing building. Three small trenches were also excavated in the building’s interior.
The Standing Building
The standing building was formerly the Procurator Fiscals Office and prior to this it had been part of McMillan’s Shipyard (see above). The interior of the building had been stripped of all interior fittings and the lathe and plaster prior to the arrival of the archaeologist on site. The interior of the building was recorded by photographs and annotated sketches of the interior elevations in the site notebook. It had been hoped to use the interior walls as found once the lathe and plaster had been removed but the condition of the wall faces required that new plaster was applied.
The interior of the structure indicated that the original build was of blond and old red sandstone of pecked and roughly dressed blocks. There was considerable evidence of rebuilding in brick and a number of windows and doors had been blocked up with brick. The E end gable wall was entirely brick and had apparently been completely rebuilt. All of the original arched windows had been reduced in size when steel beams had been introduced at first floor level to create an additional floor, probably when the structure was in use as the Procurator Fiscals Office. The introduction of this additional floor had in effect chopped through the windows leaving about two thirds of the window at ground floor level and one third at the bottom of the first floor level. The original structure would have comprised two stories with a pediment. In addition to the additional floor evidenced by the steel beams cutting across the windows to create a new first floor level the top, third floor, of the structure is also a modern addition of concrete construction added to the sandstone building and has a pseudo late Georgian pediment and mouldings. The introduction of the additional floor had converted the original structure into a three storey building with an attic. All of the windows and fireplaces have relieving arches. There are two blocked arched openings on the S side of the structure at the E end which suggest this area was originally used as cart sheds. A brick chimney had also been added to the E wall. In summary this building, built in 1881-88 by MacMillan’s Shipyard, has been quite severely altered during its lifetime.
Firat Archaeological Services 17
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Firat Archaeological Services 18
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Excavation Trenches in the Building Interior
Limited excavations took place in the interior of the building for a lift pit and two trenches for service pipes. The lift pit measured 1.50m x 1.50m and was excavated to a depth of 0.33m only. The excavations removed the concrete slab floor which was found to overlie levelled and compacted building debris is a medium brown sand matrix. These deposits were entirely of 20th century date. In the SE corner of the interior a trench running on a diagonal NE-SW was excavated over a length of 5.40m. The trench ran up to the E wall of the building, joining it at 3.50m N of the interior SE corner and it ran up to the S wall at 3.10m W of the interior SE corner. This trench was 0.31m wide and 0.36m deep. The stratigraphic sequence of the deposits, from top to bottom, was a concrete scree floor surface 0.02m deep on a concrete slab floor 0.11m deep which overlay a 0.20m deep layer of concrete based hardcore which in turn overlay a layer of compacted building debris in a brown sand matrix as seen in the lift pit. The compacted brown sand was only excavated to a depth of 0.03m and it was not bottomed so the total depth of deposit was not determined. The other small trench excavated in the interior was located on an alignment with the W jamb of the doorway through the S wall. This trench measured 3.10m in length and was 0.30m wide and 0.30m deep. The deposits revealed in this trench were exactly the same as seen in the lift pit and in the diagonal trench in the SE corner.
The Foundation Trenches
The Ordnance Survey benchmark on Riverside Church to the E of the site is 5.34m aod. Levels for the site were worked out from this benchmark with a temporary benchmark of 4.61m aod set up at the NW corner of the site. The level surface of the yard was approximately 4.22m aod throughout.
The area of the excavations for the new foundations around the exterior of the building was clear and level ground with surfaces of either tarmac or concrete slab. In some places a surface of sandstone cobble setts composed of rectangular setts measuring 0.29m x 0.18m x 0.09m in size was present directly under the tarmac. A pipe junction was removed without archaeological supervision and a surface of laid bricks was located directly under the tarmac. It appears that the surface of the yard before the laying of the tarmac and concrete slab surfaces was composed of a mixture of cobble setts and laid bricks. In both cases the earlier surfaces had had the tarmac or concrete laid directly on top of them.
The excavations commenced at the E end of the site adjacent to the sandstone enclosure wall that forms the E boundary of the plot, and which abuts the standing Procurator Fiscal building, and ran from the S wall of the standing building. This first section of excavation trench measured 3.50m in length before turning W for 4.80m and then turning to the N for a short stretch of 3.00m before again turning W for a distance of 2.70m. At this point a 1.60m wide section containing services was left unexcavated. After this unexcavated section the foundation trench continues W for 9.00m. At this point the trench widens to a larger rectangular pit measuring 1.80m x 1.80m before again returning to the regular foundation trench dimensions and continuing W for 3.45m. The trench then turns N for a distance of 14.00m before turning E for a distance of 8.70m where it terminates at the W wall of the standing building at 4.90m S of the N façade of the
Firat Archaeological Services 19
3 High Street, Dumbarton building on High Street. The new foundation trench was 0.80m wide and 1.20m deep on average.
At the E end of the excavation trench, adjacent to the stone enclosure wall F9, it was apparent before the excavations commenced that a fireclay drain F19 was present leaving the building at this point and this drain was located along the entire length of this first N- S section of the excavations. The excavation trench adjacent to the enclosure wall was 0.80m wide and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.76m. The tarmac surface F2 was found to be 0.03m deep and overlay a 0.08m deep concrete slab F12, which in turn overlay a layer of pale brown sand and broken brick rubble infill and make-up material 0.05m deep, F17. Under the brick rubble in sand layer was 0.07m deep layer of clean yellow sand, F18, which is interpreted as a bedding and levelling layer laid down after the fireclay drain was installed. The clean sand make-up layer overlay the fireclay drain. The brick in sand layer and later concrete slab and tarmac surfaces had sealed the cut, F21 of the original pipe trench and the concrete slab lay directly over the top of the stepped foundations of the standing building, F20, and was flush to the wall. The backfill, F22, of the pipe trench containing the fireclay drain was greyish brown medium to fine grained sand with inclusions of angular and abraded sandstone fragments up to 0.10m in size. This backfill deposit F22 was generally mixed and redeposited material with an overall gritty texture. A few smaller fragments of red brick, cinders and fireclay pipe were also present in the pipe trench backfill and a single sherd of blue and white transfer willow patter white earthenware of late 19th century date was also recovered. This deposit, F22, was at least 0.53m deep and it was not bottomed.
This section of N-S trench also revealed the foundations of the standing building, F20, and also the foundations, F8, of the sandstone enclosure wall F9. The top of the stepped foundations, F20, of the standing building were located 0.56m below the modern ground surface and were sealed by the modern make-up deposits of tarmac, concrete slab and brick rubble in sand noted above. The bottom of the foundations was not exposed by the excavations. The foundations F8 of the sandstone enclosure wall F9 were located at 0.76m below the modern ground surface, again sealed under modern made-up ground. These foundations F8 were 0.18m deep and projected 0.42m out from under the wall face but no construction cut for the wall could be located. It may have been disturbed by later activity or the foundations may have been built tight into the foundation cut. A concrete slab, F12, perhaps representing a concrete raft foundation was also found abutting the sandstone enclosure wall F9, sealed under the concrete slab F1 of the general courtyard area and overlying the sand and rubble make-up F17. This was removed by machine. The maximum depth of excavation at the E enclosure wall trench was 0.76m and the new foundations were to be built over the existing foundations of the enclosure wall as opposed to removing them and putting in an entirely new foundation.
Where the trench along the side the E enclosure wall returns to the W the water table was disturbed at a depth of 0.71m below the modern ground surface and the trench flooded. A total depth of excavation of 0.80m was carried out here and revealed a sequence of modern deposits of made-up ground. The deposits revealed in this section of the excavations were, from top to bottom, a concrete surface, F1, 0.06m deep which overlay a tarmac surface F2, which was 0.07m deep. The tarmac surface was laid directly onto a surface of cobble setts, F3, which was 0.18m deep with the cobbles laid header upwards. Under the cobble surface was a layer of clean sand bedding, F4, which was 0.16m deep. The sand bedding layer for the cobbles overlay a layer of mixed and redeposited building
Firat Archaeological Services 20
3 High Street, Dumbarton rubble and debris, F5, which was 0.24m deep. This layer of redeposited building material probably represents demolition of earlier structures on the site or in the immediate vicinity. The redeposited make-up layer overlay a layer of dark brown waterlogged sand and gravel, F6, that may represent undisturbed natural sand and gravel. However, the water table was disturbed at the bottom of the layer of building debris F5 which made it difficult to determine whether F6 was in situ natural or redeposited material, although the latter interpretation is favoured, as the trench edges were collapsing and the trench was flooded. However, the level of the water table in this area at 3.10m aod may explain the presence of the layer of building debris F5, which may have been laid down to act as an improvement to drainage as well as to build up the ground level.
At the junction of the N-S trench along the E enclosure wall and the return to the W, two large dressed sandstone blocks, F7, were located at 0.90m below the ground surface. These sandstone blocks, which may be the remains of a wall, were overlain by the mixed make-up deposit F5 and appear to lie directly on the waterlogged brown sand and gravel F6. However, the flooded nature of the trench and the restricted nature of the excavations made it difficult to initially determine whether these stones were the in situ remains of a wall or whether they had been dumped. There was a thin layer of dark brown clay, F23, apparently redeposited material, directly on top of the blocks, which may indicate wall bonding or a truncated surface. The sandstone blocks themselves do not appear to be medieval but of probably late 19th – early 20th century date on the basis of the stone dressing marks and it is possible they represent the remains of a cellar. Further investigations revealed that these two sandstone blocks, F7, abut the foundations, F8, of the E enclosure wall, F9, indicating that they are later in date than the enclosure wall. This further suggests these stones may be the remnants of a cellar or perhaps a partition or enclosure wall that once stood in this ‘back lot’ area. The map evidence suggests that these foundations may belong to a building shown on the 1936-37 OS map.
The enclosure wall itself, F9, is constructed of sandstone ashlar blocks with raked and pecked dressing. The wall has been repointed in cement and there is evidence of a number of repairs in brick. This enclosure wall clearly abuts the Procurator Fiscal Building.
The excavations in this easternmost section of the main E-W trench were hampered by the ground water, which caused the baulks to collapse and the ground was unstable. The width of the excavation trench increased to as much as 1.75m in the easternmost 2.5m of the main E-W trench due to the collapsing baulks. The maximum depth of excavation was 1.35m and cut into sands and gravels but as noted above the flooded nature of the trench made assessment of whether this was redeposited sand and grave or in situ natural sand and gravel difficult. It is of note that only this area of the excavations was prone to flooding and ground water and it is possible that a burst pipe may have been responsible for the flooding in this area. However, it was already clear that the natural subsoils are sands and gravels and that these have been disturbed and redeposited during the use of the site.
An old fence line of steel posts ran WNW – ESE across the back (S) courtyard of the building. These steel posts were bedded in concrete, which was found to be 0.60m deep when the posts were removed. A pipe junction was also removed adjacent to one of these fence posts, without archaeological supervision but the only deposits disturbed and
Firat Archaeological Services 21
3 High Street, Dumbarton removed were associated with the 20th century pipe junction. In the section exposed once the concrete post-hole backfill and pipe junction had been removed, the tarmac surface (F2) of the yard was revealed to be 0.18m deep, suggesting it had been resurfaced. Underlying the tarmac was a 0.14m deep layer of brick. Underlying the brick, which appeared to form a laid surface, F13, was a 0.82m deep layer of sand and gravel. This layer was composed of pale greyish brown slightly silty sand with frequent inclusions of water rounded gravel including quartz of 10m – 30mm in size. The gravel made up c. 20% of the deposit. This sand and gravel may represent redeposited natural but due to the limited nature of the excavation it was difficult to determine where the well sorted sand and gravel changed from being redeposited natural F6 to in situ natural F10.
The removal of the tarmac and concrete slab surfaces in different areas of the back courtyard revealed mixed surfaces. In some areas a cobble surface F3 was found immediately under the tarmac surface. This cobble surface was composed of rectangular sandstone setts measuring 0.29m x 0.18m x 0.09m and the surface was 0.09m thick.
Underlying the cobble surface F3 was a layer of redeposited sand and gravel, F6 that served as both a bedding layer for the cobbles and also as a ground make-up and levelling up deposit. The grey brown sand and gravel contained frequent inclusions of small water rounded gravel pebbles varying in size from 0.10m to 0.30m. There were rare inclusions of white earthenware pottery sherds and late 19th – early 20th century bottle glass with the early 20th century material predominant.
At the E end of the main E-W trench the foundation trench was 0.80m wide. The water table was disturbed at a depth of 1.10m below the modern ground surface. All of the deposits revealed here are made up ground of late 19th – 20th century date. Mixed redeposited sand F5 contained lenses of cleaner yellow sand, coal and ash rich sandy lenses, red sandstone and brick fragments were present throughout these lensed ground make-up deposits.
From the corner of the N-S stretch of trench adjacent to the E enclosure wall F9 and the return to the W where flooding was a problem, the excavations continued W along the S side of the standing Procurator Fiscals building. The easternmost section of the E-W trench measures 6.80m in length before it turns to the N for a distance of 3.00m before again retuning to the W where it continues a straight run to the service pit and dogleg return to the S. The foundation trench in this easternmost section and dogleg to the N was 1.00m wide and up to a maximum of 1.30m deep. Fireclay drains and lead water pipes were located underlying the cobble sett surface F3 and cut into the dirty brown silty sand and gravel F6. It had become apparent once the excavations had moved beyond the waterlogged area that F6 was redeposited material rather than in situ natural. This suggests that F6 was present before the late 19th century redevelopment of the site and F6 probably represents the truncated post-medieval horizon although no artefacts were recovered to prove this hypothesis.
In the W section of the N-S dogleg at the E end of the main E-W trench a wall constructed of red sandstone blocks, F11, was visible. This wall was overlain by the layer of redeposited building and demolition debris F5 and it overlay the waterlogged sand and gravel layer F6. A single sherd of white earthenware and one animal bone was recovered from F6 immediately underneath the wall. No foundation cut was visible but
Firat Archaeological Services 22
3 High Street, Dumbarton considering the waterlogged nature of F6 it is quite possible that this has been saturated to the point that the cut was not possible to detect under watching brief conditions.
The sandstone wall fragments F7 and F11 probably represent the structures shown on the 1936 OS map.
As the excavations continued to the W it became clear that the dirty brown silty sand and gravel layer F6 overlies the natural soil horizon The natural soil horizon, F10, is pale yellowish –orange fine silty sand with 70% of the deposit made up of well sorted water rounded gravel. It is possible that the natural has been truncated and disturbed in the main E-W trench but this was not readily apparent. In the main N-S trench at the W end of the excavations it is highly likely that the natural sand and gravel has been truncated. The top level of the undisturbed natural was located at 3.00m aod. It appears that anything that pre-dated the 1870s redevelopment of the site has been truncated and removed by the later 19th century and 20th century construction works. The brown silty sand and gravel layer F6 is apparently entirely redeposited on to the natural yellow- orange-brown natural F10.
In the central section of the main E-W trench, between the E end dogleg and the rectangular service pit, the uppermost surface was a concrete slab. This concrete slab, F12, was 0.30m deep and contained broken brick hardcore in its make up. Underlying the concrete slab was a laid brick surface F13. The bricks were laid in a herringbone pattern and the surface was 0.11m deep. The brick surface was sealed under the concrete slab and both of these surfaces extend for 6.50m from the W jamb of the S side door of the Procurator Fiscal building and terminated at the SW corner of the building. The concrete slab F12 was present only alongside the S wall of the building and to the S of the new foundation trench a tarmac surface was present. At the SW corner of the building another concrete slab, F24, probably representing an old foundation, was located sealed under the brick surface F13 This concrete was lying directly on to the redeposited infill deposit of brown silty sand F6.
At the SW corner of the Procurator Fiscal building the depth of excavation was reduced from 1.20m depth to 0.65m depth to avoid disturbing two main sewer pipes and other service pipes that run along the W side of the building. These sewer and service pipes were to be spanned by a beam foundation during the new construction works. Once the concrete and brick surfaces had terminated, and their location clearly indicates that they are associated with the use of the Procurator Fiscals building and would have formed the surfaces of the back lot area, the new foundation trench continued for a further 2.15m to a larger rectangular section of the foundation trench that measured 1.80m x 1.80m located at a slight dogleg to the S before the excavation trench continued to the W. In this area the surface deposit was a tarmac surface, F2, which was 0.06m deep. The tarmac surface overlay a make-up deposit F25 of tarmac and aggregate that was 0.18m deep, which in turn overlay the sandstone cobble setts F3, which had been seen further to the E. The cobble sett surface was 0.18m deep and it overlay a 0.23m deep layer of F5 material – redeposited natural mixed with building and demolition debris of sand and gravel mixed with brick fragments, coal, broken sandstone fragments and occasional roof slates.
At the dogleg in the main E-W trench the rectangular pit excavated here measured 1.80m x 1.80m. The excavation depth varied from 0.65m in the easternmost 0.90m of the pit and increased in depth to 1.0m in the western part of the pit. This area was particularly
Firat Archaeological Services 23
3 High Street, Dumbarton busy with service pipes and a total of 6 pipes ran through this pit including a fireclay drain. All of the service pipes were located towards the W side of this pit. Only the fireclay drain was removed and the service pipes were left in situ. Underlying the uppermost tarmac surface F2, the cobble sett surface F3 was present in this area and it overlay the F5 material of redeposited building debris which was between 0.50m and 0.60m deep. The layer of redeposited building debris F5 overlay the redeposited brown silty sand F6, which contained coal and broken slate fragments in this area, confirming it is a redeposited soil. A N-S wall constructed of sandstone, F14, was also located at the W edge of this dogleg pit where the new foundation trench returned to its normal 0.75m width. This wall was constructed of old red sandstone bonded in lime mortar and was 0.80m wide. The remains of this wall consisted of 0.50m depth of foundations and 0.50m of actual wall. The foundations had been cut into the redeposited brown silty sand F6. The cut for the foundations had been truncated on the E side by the later cuts for the fireclay drain and service pipes. This wall, F14, was sealed under the tarmac surface F2, which was 0.08m thick in this location, and it appears that the sandstone wall was demolished when the tarmac was laid and the back lot area was cleared and levelled to create an open space.
From the dog leg pit the new foundation trench continued for 3.45m to the SW corner of the new foundation excavations where the trench returns to the N. The trench was 0.75m wide and the depth of excavation was 1.20m in this westernmost section of the main E-W trench.
From the SW corner of the new foundation trench the N-S branch runs for 14.00m before it returns to the E for 8.70m to terminate at the W wall of the Procurator Fiscal building. This trench was 0.75m wide and 1.15m to 1.20m deep. In this N-S branch of the new foundation the sequence of deposits revealed that the natural sands and gravels had been truncated and it seemed most likely that this had occurred in the later 19th century when the Procurator Fiscal building had been built by MacMillans as their shipyard offices. The uppermost deposit along the W side of the building was a 0.08m thick tarmac surface F2, which overlay the redeposited building debris in a matrix of redeposited sand and gravel F5. F5 consisted of a brown silty sand matrix with frequent inclusions of brick and sandstone fragments, some ash, coal, cinders and lime mortar fragments and was 0.50m deep in this area. The redeposited building debris F5 overlay F6 the redeposited brown silty sand as seen throughout the excavations, this deposit contained more frequent slate fragments in this area but was still a generally clean deposit suggesting it was deposited quite quickly as a levelling up layer. The redeposited brown silty sand and gravel F6 in turn overlies the natural sand and gravel horizon F10. The interface between the layer of F6 redeposited brown silty sand and the orange-yellow natural sand and gravel F10 only became apparent at a depth of 0.90m below the modern ground surface at 3.00m N of the SW corner of the excavations indicating that to the S of this interface the infill deposit F6 increases in depth and has truncated the natural soil horizon. There was a distinct and clear edge that shows the line of truncation of the natural horizon following the natural topographic slope from the High Street down to the shore. However the obviously disturbed nature of the redeposited brown silty sand F6 and the clean and undisturbed nature of the natural sand and gravel F10, as well as the sloping edge and difference in levels clearly indicates that the natural sand and gravel F10 has been quite severely truncated, particularly towards the S. Lenses and laminations of fine textured grey gleyed clay were also present at a depth of 1.20m and it appears that the sand and gravel natural F10 might be underlain by clay but the excavation depths were
Firat Archaeological Services 24
3 High Street, Dumbarton not deep enough to determine this conclusively. However, in sections of the main N-S trench only 0.40m of the sand and gravel F10 was present before the grey gleyed clay was apparent, which again suggests the natural sand and gravel layer has been severely truncated.
In the N-S branch of the new foundation trench a number of lead pipes and fireclay drains were removed and two walls aligned E-W were located at 6.00m N of the SW corner of the excavations. A brick wall F16 was found to be built on top of an earlier sandstone wall F15. It appears that the truncated remains of the sandstone wall F15 had bee re-used as foundations for the brick wall F16. The brick wall, which was built of 20th century bricks and was bonded with cement, had been cut through the layer of redeposited building debris F5 and the sandstone wall F15 had been cut through the redeposited brown silty sand layer F6. The sandstone wall was composed of irregular boulders, measuring 0.30m x 0.30m x 0.20m on average, and did not appear to have any bonding mortar and was generally very loosely set. The sandstone boulders may in fact have been a linear dump of stones but in section they had the appearance of a wall. The brick wall had apparently been demolished when the tarmac surface F2 had been laid. It is possible that the two sandstone walls located in the western part of the excavations, F14 and F15, were part of the same structure and the 1898 - 1965 OS maps indicates structures in this area. To the N of the wall foundations F15 and F16, the tarmac surface F2 directly overlay the redeposited make up material F5, which was 0.50m deep immediately to the N of the wall foundations for a further distance of 5m before it gradually decreased in depth to only 0.20m towards the street frontage.
The make up deposit F5 directly overlies natural orange sand and gravel F10 and, at the northernmost limit of the main N-S trench, the natural sand and gravel horizon is only 0.35m below the modern ground surface at 3.98m aod. Distinct lenses of grey sand and gravel laminate the orange sand and gravel.
In the E-W trench that returns from the N end of the main N-S trench to rejoin the standing building the tarmac surface F2, which was up to 0.24m deep in this area, was found to lie directly on the natural orange sand and gravel F10. The redeposited layers of F5 and F6 were not present here, in the area closest to the street frontage. In the easternmost three quarters of this trench a concrete slab surface, F12, was present under the tarmac and also an area of cobble setts at the E end of the trench before it again stepped up for a beam foundation to cross over the existing sewer pipes.
Firat Archaeological Services 25
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Figure 4: Photograph showing N façade of 3 High Street, Dumbarton prior to redevelopment.
Figure 5. Photograph showing completed excavation of lift pit in building interior
Firat Archaeological Services 26
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Figure 6. Photograph showing excavations in SE corner of the site and dogleg at the E end of the main E-W trench.
Figure 7. Photograph showing excavations at the SW end of the main E-W trench and dogleg.
Firat Archaeological Services 27
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Figure 8. Photograph showing W section of the main N-S trench showing make-up deposits F5 and F6 overlying the truncated natural sand and gravel F10.
Figure 9. Photograph showing natural sand and gravel F10 immediately under the modern surfaces at the N end of the main N-S trench.
Firat Archaeological Services 28
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Summary and Conclusions
No in situ archaeological deposits of post-medieval or earlier date were encountered during the watching brief.
It was apparent that the back lot and side yard areas of the Procurator Fiscal Building where the new foundation excavations took place had been cleared of all earlier structures to create an open space during the earlier 20th century. The remains of five walls, (four stone and one brick), located during the watching brief had all been demolished in order to lay the tarmac surface throughout the whole yard area. These walls are of 19th – 20th century date and it is likely that the cobble sett and laid brick surfaces located under the concrete and tarmac surfaces were associated with the demolished walls.
The uppermost deposits of the site, directly under the tarmac and concrete surfaces consisted of a redeposited infill layer of building / demolition debris in a matrix of redeposited sand and gravel. Underlying the layer of late 19th century – early 20th century building debris was a fairly consistent layer of redeposited sand and gravel F6. This layer of brown silty sand and gravel contained very few artefacts and the only artefacts recovered were of late 19th century date, no earlier artefacts were found during the excavations. In the main N-S trench it was clearly demonstrated that this layer of brown sand and gravel was a layer of redeposited and contaminated natural sand and gravel and the clean and undisturbed natural orange sand and gravel F10 was located directly underneath it.
The main N-S trench at the W side of the standing building provided a clear profile of the soil deposits present on the site. The natural sand and gravel F10 could clearly be seen sloping from N to S and it was obvious that it has been truncated. Given the topographic location of the site, sloping down to the river from the High Street, one would expect to see the natural sand and gravel horizon following this slope. The natural sand and gravel does indeed do so and it appears that the redeposited brown sand and gravel that overlies the natural had been laid down to build up the ground surface and create a level surface throughout the area, probably for the construction of the Procurator Fiscal building in the late 19th century. The redeposited brown sand and gravel F6 may have been laid down sometime before the later 19th century development of the site but no artefacts to indicate an earlier date were recovered during the watching brief. The very sharp interface between the redeposited infill brown sand and gravel and the natural silty sand and gravel in the main N-S trench strongly suggests that the edge is an artificial cut and that the natural sand and gravel has been scarped away at some point in the past, probably in the later 19th century.
Firat Archaeological Services 29
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 2004
Local Authority West Dunbartonshire
Project Title Dumbarton – 3 High Street
Parish Dumbarton
Name of Contributor Fiona Baker
Name of Organisation Firat Archaeological Services
Type of Project Watching Brief
NMRS Nos N/A
Site /Monument Type Within medieval burgh
Significant Finds none
NGR NS 3970 7518
Start Date 19.1.04
End Date 22.1.04
Previous Work None
Proposed Future Work None
Main Description
An archaeological watching brief of the excavation of foundation trenches for an extension to the old Procurator Fiscal building did not locate any archaeological deposits earlier than the 19th century. The natural sand and gravel slopes southwards from the High Street towards the River Leven and has been truncated in the past, probably in the later 19th century and redeposited sand and gravel had been laid across the site to level up the ground. No artefacts earlier than the late 19th century were recovered.
Project Code DHS04
Sponsor / Funding Body The Budda Group Address of Main Contributor Hillcroft, Station Road, Rhu, G84 8LW
Archive Location With FAS, to be deposited in NMRS. Report lodged with WoSAS.
Firat Archaeological Services 30
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Report Distribution
Six copies of this report have been produced and distributed to: • The Budda Group • West of Scotland Archaeology Service (including disk copy) • National Monuments Record of Scotland • Dumbarton Library • Firat Archaeological Services
Contents and Location of the Project Archive
Firat Archaeological Services currently holds the project archive. The archive will be deposited in the National Monuments Record of Scotland in due course.
Contents
• one bound copy of this report • copy of this report on disk • all drawings as listed • all photographs as listed
Acknowledgments
The desk based research, watching brief and report writing is by Fiona Baker, Director of Firat Archaeological Services. Map illustrations are by David Connolly. The archaeological scope of the project was specified and the work monitored by the West of Scotland Archaeology Service.
Bibliography
Maps
1777 Charles Ross Map of Dunbartonshire 1820 John Wood’s Town Plan of Dumbarton 1860 First Edition Ordnance Survey, 1:10,560 and 1:2500 1860 First Edition Ordnance Survey 1:500 Town Plan 1896 Second Edition Ordnance Survey, 1:10,560 1914 Third Edition Ordnance Survey 1:10.560 1936 Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 1965 Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 1980s Ordnance Survey, 1:10,000
Firat Archaeological Services 31
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Documentary Sources
Dumbarton through the Centuries, no details.
Bowen FC 1951 Shipbuilders of Other Days – No. 46 McMillan of Dumbarton in Shipbuilding and Shipping Record, 12.7.1951
Caldwell D and Dean V 1992 The Pottery Industry at Throsk, Stirlingshire in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Post Medieval Archaeology 26, 1-47.
Dennison WP and Coleman R 1999 Historic Dumbarton, the archaeological implications of development. Scottish Burgh Survey. Historic Scotland / Tuckwell Press.
Lind W 1976 Archibald McMillan and Son Ltd, Shipbuilders, Dumbarton 1834-1932 in Scottish Industrial History Vol.1.1
MacLeod D 1893 Dumbarton Ancient and Modern
Stone K n.d. River of Ships – The Last of the Shipbuilding McMillans (probably Dumbarton Reporter or Lennox Herald)
Archive Material Drawings List
Drawing Number Scale Description
1 1:50 Ground Floor Plan as Proposed (Architect’s Drawing) 2 1:100 Site Plan (Architect’s Drawing)
Finds List
Feature 6 no finds were kept and all were backfilled. 1 x bird leg bone 1 x sheep rib bone 1 x sheep leg bone 1 x corroded iron nail 3 x blue and white transfer printed white earthenware pottery sherds including one willow pattern 1 x brown on white hand painted rim of a bowl pottery sherd of c. 1860 -1880 date 2 x clay pipe stems, both mouthpieces, one with moulded lips mouthpiece and staining from iron mouthpiece (missing)
All finds are of late 19th century date.
Firat Archaeological Services 32
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Feature List
Feature No. Description 1 Concrete surface 2 Tarmac surface 3 Cobble setts surface 4 Sand bedding layer, for cobble setts 5 Make up of redeposited building debris 6 Layer waterlogged brown sand and gravel 7 Sandstone wall at SE corner of excavations, ?cellar 8 Stone foundations of wall F9 9 Sandstone wall, E enclosure wall of site 10 Natural – sand and gravel 11 Sandstone wall, N-S 12 Concrete slab 13 Laid brick surface 14 Sandstone wall 15 Sandstone wall 16 Brick wall 17 Brick rubble in sand matrix, make up layer 18 Layer of clean yellow sand, make-up 19 Fireclay drain 20 Foundations of S wall of Procurator Fiscal building 21 Cut for fireclay drain F19 22 Backfill of F21 23 Thin layer of brown clay 24 Concrete slab 25 Tarmac and aggregate make-up and bedding for tarmac surface
Photograph Lists
Colour Print Roll 1
Frame No: Direction to Description 33 N Interior wall 34 E Interior wall 35 W Interior wall 36 E Exterior wall, façade of S end of W wall 37 E N end of W wall, exterior façade 38 E South yard 39 S N façade 40 W 3 High Street
Firat Archaeological Services 33
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Colour Print Roll 2
Frame No: Direction to Description 7 E Excavs in progress at E enclosure wall 8+9 N Excavs as completed by machine at E enclosure wall 10 S Excavs in progress in easternmost section of main E-W trench showing ground water at 1.15m below the surface 11 N Excavs at E enclosure wall at trench corner showing flooding and sandstone wall F7 12 W Lift shaft pit in building interior 13 W Service pipe trench in building interior at W edge of existing door in S wall 14+15 W Excavs of W end of easternmost section of E-W trench 16 W Natural F10 in bottom of trench 17 NW Section of service trench in SE corner of interior of building 18 NW General shot of interior of building 19 E General view of excavs at E end of main E-W trench 20+21 W Excavs in progress at SW corner of building in main E-W trench 22+23 W Excavs as completed at W end of main E-W trench showing dog leg and service pit 24 N Sandstone wall F14 in section 25+26 W E facing section at SW corner of excavations 27 N Main N-S trench, N end, F10 natural sand 28 N Main N-S trench under excavation 29 – 32 W Main N-S trench, E facing section from S to N showing natural sand and gravel F10 sloping down from N to S 33 N Northern E-W trench, N section 34 E Northern E-W trench as excav up to location of beam foundation 35 S General site view at end excavs 36 SE General site view at end of excavs 37 E General site view of S side, main E-W trench at end of excavs. 38 NNE General site view at end of excavs, W side of building, main N-S trench 39 W General site view at end of excavs., S side, main E-W trench 40 S General view at end of excavs, W side of building
Firat Archaeological Services 34
3 High Street, Dumbarton
Contact Addresses
Firat Archaeological Services Hillcroft Station Road Rhu G84 8LW
Tel: 01436 820 334 Fax: 01436 820 051 Contact: Fiona Baker
Tom Quinn Architect (on behalf of The Budda Group) Fleetfern Ltd 16 Algie Street Glasgow G41 3JD
Tel: 0141 636 9171 Mobile: 07766 117697
West of Scotland Archaeology Service Charing Cross Complex 20 India Street Glasgow G2 4PF
Tel: 0141 287 8334 Fax: 014 287 9529 Contact: Dr Carol Swanson
Firat Archaeological Services 35