Archaeology news Rediscovering LOST A community group in Ross-shire investigating the lost remnants of its historic medieval centre has uncovered evidence of a catastrophic burning event along with a wealth of information about the development of a small Scottish burgh, as Mary Peteranna and Steven Birch explain

he archaeological site in Burnt wooden Reeds Park, Cromarty artefact, possible a had been buried below a barrel stave or bowl farmer’s field for over 120 fragment, from the Tyears, before the Cromarty Medieval burning event Burgh Community Archaeology Project began investigations in 2013 after coastal erosion revealed hints of settlement. The project, which has attracted over 700 volunteers and thousands of visitors, has been dubbed by medieval specialists ‘one of the most important medieval excavations happening in .’ Although the core of the medieval burgh of Cromarty was thought to have been located at the base of the castle brae, to the southeast of the present town, the presence of any authority of the Scottish crown. The earliest buildings surviving remains of the settlement Although there is little documentary The foundations of earlier buildings, were completely unknown before evidence for the town’s medieval most likely constructed during the digging began. Now, working with a history, it has been suggested that it closing stages of the 17th century range of specialists, including historians was the logical location for a thanage mirrored the footprints of those latest and artefact experts, archaeologists in the 11th to 12th centuries. A castle buildings, displaying multiple phases are piecing together the exciting situated at Cromarty would have of restructuring within these centuries. archaeological results spanning been a sensible location to establish Artefacts associated from this period periods of settlement between the royal authority on this borderland. consist of low status ceramics and 13th and 19th centuries. In 2015-16, While it was documented that glass, and personal objects representing after several seasons of digging, the the town’s sheriffdom had been general subsistence living. excavation has come down to the established by 1266, little was known In the preceding centuries, the earliest layers and provided a detailed about the early history and layout of layout of the settlement was completely look at the layout of the medieval town. medieval Cromarty. different, with the gable ends of the The burgh of Cromarty was set The archaeologists’ work from 2013- buildings aligned on an earlier road in a strategically important location, 16 has provided a detailed picture of in the same location. The excavations controlling the entrance to the the transitioning burgh, showing the uncovered six of these houses; smaller Cromarty and the ferry crossing buildings, property boundaries and buildings comprising inner and outer on the coastal route north of Inverness zones of activity within an area focused facing stones with a clay bonded core. via Nigg, the most direct route to the on a former road alignment, referred Thicker gable end walls on some of the medieval shrine of St Duthac’s in Tain. to mysteriously as Thief’s Row in the structures suggest that these buildings Cromarty was a natural location for 18th century. The latest buildings may have been built primarily of stone a medieval power centre, with good recorded on the site, dating to the with the slightly bowed long walls coastal access and rich agricultural 19th century were located on the comprising a stone base and upper hinterland, strategically located on a north side of the road; rectangular structures of timber and daub reaching key frontier zone in northern Scotland. stone-built structures running parallel up to at least two storeys high. Unlike other areas of the north and to Thief’s Row and set within plots These buildings opened to the east regions that were under clan of land demarcated by single coursed onto an adjoining stone-laid path, or control, Cromarty fell under the feudal stone boundaries. vennel, and were laid out in regular

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plots. Pottery, glass bottles and clay medieval life in Cromarty included pipe fragments from these layers have slab hearths, metal-working hearths, helped to provide 16th- to 17th- stone-lined storage pits and a beautiful century dates for these buildings, with stone-lined well – one of the highlights high status materials indicating the for visitors in 2016. presence of a thriving economy. The 3m-deep well was accessed Landscaped layers of wood ash by a well-constructed flight of and shell middens covered the 13th sturdy steps. It was a surprise to to 15th century medieval buildings archaeologists to discover that the which comprised mostly post-hole well went out of use after disposal of Above, from top: shellfish bait middens and wood ash alignments and ditch slots representing a pony carcass in its base. This event looking north west layer indicate that industrial-scale large timber buildings respecting may have been a deliberate act of over the excavation fish processing, including smoking property boundaries running off the poisoning of the well. site in 2015, showing and drying, was taking place on the former medieval High Street (now the Another surprise to the excavators the road running site. This is also reflected in the huge Causeway). Gravel and cobble surfaces was the prevalence of disused grain through the middle amount of locally made ceramic jugs marked paths between buildings, grinding quern and mill stones found of the site and and stone disc stoppers that may have with slabbed settings and stake-holes in unusual abundance across the site. buildings to the right been used within the industry. showing activity areas. Many such stones had been reused side of it (photo Analysis of animal bone has also The earliest structures appear to in cobbled surfaces, building walls, by Garry Mackay); shown that cattle hide and sheep wool have been manufactured from timber as post bases and for hearth settings Cromarty’s medieval processing formed part of the town’s and turf, followed by structures in buildings. One house contained well, looking north medieval industry. Fish, beef, mutton with wattle and daub panels using two querns and a larger millstone and pork were all being consumed by a combination of cruck-frame and representing different phases of use of Cromarty inhabitants. upright timber post construction. the building, but all in slightly different Ceramics from England and the In Cromarty, the transition in the locations in the structure. European Low Countries found in burgh construction shows a general The most unique discovery was a Cromarty reflect significant trade progression from mostly timber vertical stack of three querns used as links in the burgh. Combined with buildings in 13th to 14th centuries hearths with slab-type hearths located the 13th- to 14th-century coinage to mostly stone buildings in the 18th below and above, representing five recovered by metal detecting in other to 19th centuries. At various times, different phases of occupation and use. parts of the town, the evidence shows the roof structures comprised turf, Medieval artefacts included spindle that Cromarty had been a well- thatch, pan tile and slate. whorls for wool thread making, established settlement at this time. This brings us back to Cromarty’s bronze and iron objects such as The excavations overall have fire. Within the sequence of 13th- to buckles, knife blades and sickles, and provided a snapshot of the layout of 15th-century occupation, a widespread a bone tuning peg from a musical the burgh and its transition between burnt layer showed up across the site. instrument – most likely a harp. 13th to 19th centuries. The changes in Intense areas of burning mirrored The tuning peg is an internationally building construction and alignment the locations of medieval wattle and important find being only the second reflect the development of the town, its daub structures across a continuous such object to be recovered from a economy and trade. Cromarty appears horizon, indicating that a major medieval context in Scotland (the to have started out as a significant conflagration event took place in the other having come from excavations medieval town with substantial trade town. Whilst it is tempting to interpret at Castle). links in the 13th to 14th centuries, the fire as a deliberate attack, there Economically, the archaeological before going through alternating is as yet no indication that the fire evidence points to the medieval periods of economic prosperity and was anything other than a disastrous town being sustained by targeted sea catastrophic decline. accident that spread rapidly between fishing based primarily on Cod. Large timber and thatched buildings. numbers of iron fish hooks and boat For more information on the project, visit: Other structural evidence for rivets, together with the fish remains, www.medievalcromarty.org

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