Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1997 COUNCIL FOR SCOTTISH ARCHAEOLOGY Published by the Council for Scottish Archaeology Contributions should be sent to: Hon Editor, Discouery and Excauation in Scotland CSA, c/o Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF CSA is in receipt of an award from the Historic Scotland Special Grants Programme. CSA wishes to acknowledge the following bodies for generous financial contributions in respect of the reports relating to their particular contributions to this volume: Historic Scotland Q Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Crown Office (Treasure Trove Advisory Panel) The Council for British Archaeology has also awarded a grant for this edition. '. almost from the very beginning, CSA published Discovery and Excavation in Scotland, an annual compendium of excavations and archaeological discoveries. Fifty years on, this remains the indispensable tool of anyone interested in Scotland's archaeology. It is also the exemplar throughout the United Kingdom for such publications.' Sir Hector Monro Minister for Agriculture and the Environment at CSA Jubilee Reception, Edinburgh Castle, October 1994 Cover: Neolithic passage grave found beneath the Bronze Age Fordhouse Barrow, Dun, Angus. Photo: Rick Peterson/St Andrews Heritage Services Printed by Mackenzie & Storrie Ltd Edinburgh «• 0131-554-1576 ISSN 0419-41IX © Council for Scottish Archaeology 1998 DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND 1997 An annual survey of Scottish archaeological discoveries, excavation and fieldwork Edited by Robin Turner Published by the Council for Scottish Archaeology Background to Editorial Policy Discovery and Excauation in Scotland plays a vitally important role in Scottish archaeology. Each new issue offers a simple way to keep up to date with current fieldwork, and the back numbers provide a basic research tool for anyone seeking information about the archaeology of Scotland, in whole or in part. DES aims to provide a rapid, comprehensive summary of all archaeological fieldwork undertaken in Scotland each year. This imposes a very tight timescale on the production process, between the deadline for submissions at the end of October, and publication the following February. DES is not intended as a medium for final publication but should be regarded as a summary, often interim statement, of work undertaken, of which a fuller account will eventually appear in print elsewhere, and/or of which further detailed records are deposited in the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS). As such, it is intended to try to keep people up to date with what is happening in the field, and facilitate the pursuit of further information by interested parties. CSA publishes DES as a service to its members and to archaeology generally, and its production represents the expenditure of a significant percentage of CSA's annual income. A small publication grant is provided by CBA and financial support is received frorn various bodies for entries relating to their work, while further contributions are received for reports on developer-funded projects. The task of production is undertaken on behalf of CSA by the Editor, who carries out the work on a voluntary basis largely in his spare time. The above considerations underlie and constrain editorial policy, which seeks to balance maximum information value with speed of production and minimum cost. Acknowledgements I am grateful to Lyn Turner for her role in the sub-editing, desktop publishing and preparation of the volume, and to Kenneth Aitchison for producing the Index to the Archaeological Contributions. Thanks are due to The Stationery Office Ltd Cartographic Centre for the Local Authority map, and to the National Trust for Scotland for their considerable support in-kind. The essential work of Ian Fleming in verifying locational information on behalf of the NMRS is very gratefully acknowledged. Additional thanks are offered to HS, RCAHMS and the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel for their financial contributions towards publication, as well as to the CBA for a grant towards the costs of this volume. Robin Turner The National Trust for Scotland Notes for Contributors 1. The Editor will accept appropriate accounts of all forms of archaeological discoveries undertaken in the year concerned or of un-reported work from previous years. This includes excavation, field survey, geophysical survey, environmental studies and records of stray finds. Failure to submit entries in the year of discovery need not preclude submission at a later date. 2. Contributions should be BRIEF statements of work undertaken. Survey information should be summarised or tabulated. 3. Each contribution should be on a separate page following the standard format (see pro forma on the final page of this volume), and typed or clearly printed in double-spacing. Please note that the new (1996) Local Authority divisions should be used (see map on p. 4). Copy on PC-compatible disc (in addition to printouts) will be gratefully received. 4. TWO COPIES OF EACH CONTRIBUTION are required, one for editing and the other for deposition in unabridged form in the NMRS. 5. The Editor reserves the right to shorten contributions. Because survey observations can be replicated, these are subject to heavier editing than excavation reports, which are records of unrepeatable work. 6. All entries will acknowledge the contributors) and appropriate sponsor(s). Anonymous contributions will not be accepted. The contributors' contact addresses will be listed at the back of the volume. 7. Please note that it is a condition of Historic Scotland funded projects that an entry be supplied for publication in DES. 8. Accuracy of entries must be the responsibility of the contributor, to whom all enquiries concerning content should be referred. Contributors may be asked to verify their contributions. The Editor will not enter into lengthy correspondence with contributors. 9. Poorly written, excessively lengthy, or controversial contributions may be returned to the contributor for revision. 10. No proofs will be forwarded to contributors. 11. The submission of illustrations and photographs is encouraged; they will be included where possible if they contribute useful information or enhance the appearance of the volume, but the Editor cannot undertake the redrawing of poor-quality plans. Clear illustrations should be supplied in camera-ready form, at A4 or smaller size, and will be returned only if specifically requested. 12. Copyright for each entry as published in Discovery and Excavation in Scof/and will rest with the Council for Scottish Archaeology. Entries will normally be added to the National Monuments Record of Scotland database. 13. Final deadline for receipt of contributions is 31 October for publication in late February following, but contributions may be sent at any time during the year. 14. Contributions should be sent direct to the CSA Office, c/o Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF. CONTENTS Background to Editorial Policy 2 Acknowledgements 2 Notes for Contributors 2 Map of Local Authority areas 4 Archaeological Contributions 5 RCAHMS Report 87 Radiocarbon Report 112 compiled by P J Ashmore, with a contribution by Alison Sheridan Treasure Trove Report 118 by Jenny Shiels and Alan Saville Current Post-Graduate Research 121 compiled by Jerry O'Sullivan List of Contributors 123 Selective Index to the Archaeological Contributions 125 Sample pro forma for contributions 128 New Local Authority Areas Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 Numtwrrt Artat 1 WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE 2 EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE 3 NORTH LANARKSHIRE 4 GLASGOW CITY 5 EAST RENFREWSHIRE 6 RENFREWSHIRE 7 INVERCLYDE 8 CLACKHANNANSHIRE » FALK1RK 10 WEST LOTHIAN Produced by the Stitionerv Office LIB Cartographic Centre 9'96 ABERDEEN CITY ABERDEEN CITY NJ 9346 0815 Powis House Civil Defence sub-control centre. Aberdeen area D 1 Harding NJ 9330 0568 Justice Mill Lane Electric conduit ventilator. (Aberdeen; Dyce; Newhills; Peterculter parishes) NJ 9258 0932 Grandhotne Mills, Footbridge. Assessment River Don In the course of a general reconnaissance in advance of a NJ 9122 0978 Grandhome Mills, Mill lade intake. prospective archaeological field survey of uncultivated or forest River Don ground in the Aberdeen area, the following upstanding sites are NJ 9445 0669 142 King Street House and offices. among those which have been reported to the Aberdeen SMR NJ 9391 0817 Old Aberdeen Insurance badge, 1 High for inclusion therein. Site reports will be lodged with both Street. Aberdeen SMR and the NMRS. Other features include various NJ 9362 0904 Kettocks Mills, Mill lade intake. boundary stones and milestones; railway station platforms and River Don other railway features; clearance cairns; and air-raid shelters. NJ 9361 0902 Kettocks Mills, Weir. River Don NJ 80 NE NJ 9107 0950 Woodside Mills, Mill lade intake. NJ 8541 0757 Clog Hill Mound. River Don NJ 8556 0535 Kingshill Quarry- NJ 920 093 Structures associated with NJ 854 050 Gairn Forest Circular stony feature. former Woodside Mills. NJ 855 050 Gairn Forest Pits and mounds. NJ 9408 0882 Seaton Park Pillbox. NJ 854 050 Gairn Forest Stony mounds. NJ 9388 0650 Robert Gordon's The Auld Hoose'. College NJ 80 SE NJ 9240 0917 Don Terrace Steps, 'Jacob's Ladder'. NJ 854 049 Gairn Forest Circular stony feature. NJ 9376 0597 Langstane Place Stone, 'Langstane'. NJ 854 049 Gairn Forest Pits and mounds. NJ 9355 0578 Langstane Place Stone, 'Crabstane'. NJ 8764 0309 Baillieswells Consumption dyke. NJ 9380 0849 St Machar Drive Stones, carved, reused. NJ 8648 0323 Hilton Consumption dyke. NJ 9423 0667 Seamount Place Stones, inscribed. NJ 8726 0204 Milton of Murtle Doocot. NJ 8977 0270 Engine house, NJ 90 SE waterworks. NJ 9559 0354 Tullos Hill Concrete hut base, 10 x NJ 8997 0320 Cults Stone, slotted, 268 5m. North Deeside Road. NJ 9540 0336 Tullos Hill Concrete hut bases (2). NJ 80 SW NJ 90 SW NJ 8409 0319 Bean's Hill Building foundations. NJ 9108 0271 River Dee Bridge abutment. NJ 8424 0333 Bean's Hill Buildings (2), ruined. NJ 9424 0496 Wellington Stone, cross-marked/ NJ 8475 0360 Bean's Hill Enclosure, oval.