ARO26: The complex history of a rural medieval building in Kintore, Aberdeenshire By Maureen C. Kilpatrick With contributions by Diane Aldritt, Jo McKenzie, George McLeod and Bob Will Archaeology Reports Online, 52 Elderpark Workspace, 100 Elderpark Street, Glasgow, G51 3TR 0141 445 8800 | [email protected] | www.archaeologyreportsonline.com ARO26: The complex history of a rural medieval building in Kintore, Aberdeenshire Published by GUARD Archaeology Ltd, www.archaeologyreportsonline.com Editor Beverley Ballin Smith Design and desktop publishing Gillian Sneddon Produced by GUARD Archaeology Ltd 2017. ISBN: 978-0-9935632-5-6 ISSN: 2052-4064 Requests for permission to reproduce material from an ARO report should be sent to the Editor of ARO, as well as to the author, illustrator, photographer or other copyright holder. Copyright in any of the ARO Reports series rests with GUARD Archaeology Ltd and the individual authors. The maps are reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. All rights reserved. GUARD Archaeology Licence number 100050699. The consent does not extend to copying for general distribution, advertising or promotional purposes, the creation of new collective works or resale. Contents Abstract 5 Introduction 5 Site Location 5 Archaeological Background 5 Excavation Results 8 The building 8 Structures later than the building 11 Radiocarbon Dates 11 Specialist Reports 12 Pottery 12 Botanical Remains 13 Soil Micromorphology 16 Multi-element Soil Analysis 19 Discussion 20 Conclusion 22 Acknowledgements 22 Bibliography 22 List of Figures Figure 1: Location map with evaluation trenches 4 Figure 2: Topographic survey showing enclosure and associated features 6 Figure 3: Farmsteads and prehistoric and medieval sites close to the site 7 Figure 4: Plan of the excavated structure 9 Figure 5: East-facing section of gable posthole 014 10 Figure 6: South-facing section through posthole (055) in the floor of the building 10 Figure 7: South-facing section of slot 3 through drainage ditch 023 10 Figure 8: Suggested reconstruction of a byre-house 21 List of Plates Plate 1: The structure after removal of turf and the cleaning of the wall stones 002 and 003 8 Plate 2: Working shot of during excavation of the walls and interior of the building 8 Plate 3: Section through wall 003 at slot F 8 Plate 4: Possible post-pad in the south wall of the structure (003) 10 Plate 5: Linear stone alignment (006) From south-east 11 Plate 6: Late medieval pottery from the building 12 Plate 7: Thin section K1 shows a sample through floor deposit 024 16 Plate 8: Thin section K2 (centre) shows (from base) natural deposit 054 and three laminated 17 lenses making up floor sequence 027a (lower peaty, central sandy deposit, and upper clay-with-peat ) and upper floor deposit 027b Plate 9: Thin section K3 (right) shows (from base) natural deposit 031 and turf construction 18 deposit 030 Plate 10: The Kintore building in its wider landscape 20 List of Tables Table 1: List of sites close to the site 8 Table 2: Radiocarbon dates from the site 12 ARO26: The complex history of a rural medieval building in Kintore, Aberdeenshire Lossiemouth Spey Bay Cullen Kinnaird Head A941 Buckie A942 Fraserburgh Elgin Banff A96 Portsoy A98 A90 A98 A941 A981 Aberchirder Spey Keith A950 Rothes R A95 Mintlaw A95 A97 Turriff A952 Peterhead Charlestown of Aberlour A947 A982 A920 A948 A96 Dufftown Huntly A90 A941 A920 Ellon A975 Kintore A920 Inverness Aberdeen Oldmeldrum A97 Inverurie A947 Tomintoul River Don A90 A939 Kintore Alford Dyce A944 A96 A944 A97 Site Location A939 Glasgow Edinburgh A980 Westhill Aberdeen Aboyne A93 A93 River Dee A90 Ballater Banchory A957 3 3 3 76 77 76 800 mE 000 mE 600 mE Open Field ST48 75.012 P/W Fence Area of Trees Area of Trees Open Field Area of Trees EP AP P/W Fence W/P neFce P/W Fence ST47 P W/F nece 76.442 MH ST35 78.002 Burn ST21 Burn 82.440 P/W Fence Area of Trees ST46 ST20 Long Grass 83.052 ST29 77.800 ST28 78.958 P 81.922 Area of Trees MH ST34 Mound 79.829 ST33 ST45 80.020 80.171 P/W Fence Burn ST44 Steel Security Fence 80.588 ST52 80.444 Concrete ST43 WH 82.669 WH IC Steel Security Fence Pylon W/PFen ec WH EP WH ST19 ST07 84.894 80.554 814400 mN ST30 P/W Fence 84.196 EP EP Steel Security Fence Compound MH AP AP Area of Trees P/W Fence Asphalt Steel Security Fence Burn Fuel LP Tank MH MH P ST42 Portacabin 85.204 P/W Fence G Area of P/W Fence Rocks P/W Fence Steel Security Fence ST18 88.371 Open Field ST32 79.243 ST17 Rocks 89.467 Steel Security Fence AP Area of Trees Rocks Steel Security Fence EP EP EP EP Asphalt MK Burn EP MK MK ST41 EP P/W Fence AP 87.666 MK EP AP EP G P/W Fence Steel Security Fence P/W Fence ST16 92.197 Grass EP Open Field Kintore Power Station Burn ST39 Pylon 88.524 Open Field P/W Fence ST06 81.521 Grass P/W Fence Foliage Area of Trees ST02 ST49 96.500 100.487 P/W Fence IC Steel Security Fence Area of Rocks G Rocky Area ST10 P 82.883 ST14 ST15 P 98.021 98.251 Pylon Asphalt P/W Fence G G Grass ST27 ST11 Broken Asphalt 84.049 88.673 P/W Fence P/W Fence P/W Fence G P P P/W Fence Pylon Open Field P/W Fence Area of Foliage Rocks Pylon ST40 90.777 Pylon Area of Rocks 814200 mN Area of Trees Grass ST05 Steel Security Fence 85.431 P/W Fence IC Asphalt P/W Fence Concrete G P/W Fence RS Rocks notSe llaW IC ST24 88.482 ST26 Steel Security Fence Open Field 89.409 Farm P/W Fence ST31 ST23 93.533 88.627 Grass Stone Wall ST25 Steel Security Fence Open Field 88.958 ST12 P/W Fence 86.502 ST13 86.335 P P/W Fence ST36 89.707 Area of Trees IC AP Area of Trees AP P/W Fence AP Stone Wall AP Stone Wall Area of Foliage EP EP ST09 86.174 Area of Trees SF Protruding Cables ST22 P Area of Trees 87.627 P P/W Fence Grass Open Field P/W Fence ST37 90.901 eFn ecW/P Area of Trees P/W Fence MK MK P/W Fence P/W Fence Concrete P/W Fence Foliage TP Stone Wall Foliage EL P/W Fence ST38 92.257 ST04 TP 86.566 Area of RL P/W Fence Dense Trees P RS P Grass P P P/ ecneF W Area of Foliage Stone Ret. Wall ST08 AP 86.233 IC ST51 Foliage IC TP 98.289 IC B977 P BOL Foliage P AP P Open Field Stone Wall WH P P/W Fence BOL P Open Field Area of Foliage P/W Fence P/W Fence BOL Open Field Pylon TP BOL EP EP Area of Trees LP BOL Open Field Open Field ST01 94.831 814000 mN Open Field Pylon P/W Fence P/W Fence ST03 97.936 EP Area of Foliage Foliage Foliage Area of Foliage ST50 P/W Fence 97.092 Area of Dense Foliage Tree Overhang P/W Fence Area of Foliage P/W Fence P/W Fence Open Field Open Field KEY Enclosure and Building Evaluation Trenches Site boundary 0 200 m Area restricted by dense vegetation Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. All rights reserved. Licence number 100050699. Basemap topographical survey provided by client. Figure 1: Location map with evaluation trenches. 4 © Archaeology Reports Online, 2017. All rights reserved. ARO26: The complex history of a rural medieval building in Kintore, Aberdeenshire Abstract wooded areas to the north and tree belts to the east and south. Towards the north, the field falls Excavations by GUARD Archaeology Ltd in steeply towards the Dewsford Burn located within advance of construction at the Kintore sub- a steep gully. The geology consists of Kemnay station extension revealed the remains of a Pluton Granite overlain by till (British Geological turf and stone-built medieval building partly Survey 2017). overlain by a large and more recent rectangular field enclosure. Sherds of pottery obtained from Archaeological Background the floor of the structure suggest it was in use during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries Although no evidence of archaeological activity AD. However, its construction is similar to other was known within the site boundary prior excavated buildings dated to the early medieval to investigative work commencing, several period. Radiocarbon dates obtained from several prehistoric sites are known in the area (see Figure features and deposits ranged from the Bronze 3 with Table 1). These include the remains of the Age, through the Iron Age to the medieval period, Scheduled Ancient Monument of South Leylodge suggesting a high degree of disturbance within Recumbent Stone Circle (NRHE* NJ71SE3) (No.5) and around the area of the building. The structure to the south-east of the site. Two standing is an uncommon survivor of rural settlement that stones, The Knock (NRHE NJ15SE6) (No 16) and is rarely excavated in Scottish archaeology. South Leylodge (NRHE NJ15SE4) (No.17) lie to the south. Find spots to the north-west include a Introduction flint leaf-shaped arrowhead from South Cottown (NRHE NJ71NE55) (No. 14) and a stone axehead During September and October 2013 GUARD from Hall Forest (NRHE NJ71NE51) (No.10) A Archaeology Ltd in conjunction with Amey prehistoric funerary monument of a cist with an and on behalf of Scottish and Southern Energy urn containing cremated remains was found at conducted an archaeological evaluation on an Tillybin (NRHE NJ71SE91) (No.