CFA ARCHAEOLOGY LTD September 2007 Commissioned by Ginger Developments Ltd This document has been prepared in accordance with CFA standard operating procedures. Author: Date Approved by: Date Draft/Final Report Stage: FINAL Author: Mike Cressey BA MSc Phd FSA Scot MIFA Illustrator: Leeanne Whitelaw, MA, AAIS Editor: Sue Anderson BA MPhil MIFA PGDip FSA Scot CFA ARCHAEOLOGY LTD The Old Engine House Eskmills Business Park Musselburgh EH21 7PQ Tel: 0131-273 4380 Fax: 0131-273 4381 email: [email protected] Bankton House Steading Desk Based Assessment Report No. 1358 BOUS/13580 1 CFA CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 2. Methodology 4 3. Desk-based assessment results 5 4. Site visit 8 5. Conclusion and recommendations 8 6. References 9 Appendices Appendix 1 DES Entry 10 Appendix 2 Statutory list for Bankton House Steading 11 Appendix 3 Digital photographic record 12 Plates Plate 1 West-facing elevation of Units 1 and 2 13 Plate 2 East facing gable of Unit 1 13 Plate 3 Interior photograph of the A-frame roof in Unit 2, facing north 14 Plate 4 Interior east-facing wall of Unit 3 showing plaster and stall scars 14 Plate 5 General view of the east facing elevation of Unit 3 15 Plate 6 Demolished north gable wall stub and dooks within the interior plaster 15 Plate 7 West facing elevation at the north end of the steading (Unit 3) 16 Plate 8 West facing elevation with out-shot building (Unit 2) 16 Plate 9 West elevation, general shot 17 Plate 10 A 19th-century photograph of Bankton House 17 List of Figures (bound at rear) Figure 1 General location map Figure 2 1766 map by John Laurie Figure 3 1799, William Furrese, Map of Haddingtonshire Figure 4 1812, James Knox, map of Edinburgh Figure 5 1822, John Thomson, Haddington Figure 6 1834, S Anderson and W Hunter. Plan of the Environs of Edinburgh Figure 7 1844, T Sharp, C Greenwood, W Fowler, Map of the County of Haddington Figure 8 1854 Ordnance Survey edition Haddingtonshire Figure 9 1921-28 Ordnance Survey, Edinburgh Figure 10 1854 Ordnance Survey First Edition Figure 11 1892 Ordnance Survey 25” First Edition Figure 12 1902 Ordnance Survey map Figure 13 1933 Ordnance Survey map Thumbnail plates (bound at rear) BOUS/13580 2 CFA 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 General 1.1.1 This report presents the results of an enhanced desk-based assessment carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) in June 2007 on the historical development of Bankton House Steading, Prestonpans, East Lothian (NGR: NT 39452 73651 Fig 1). The work was commissioned by Ginger Development Ltd to fulfil a planning condition based on a Written Scheme of Investigation for archaeological work approved by East Lothian Council’s Heritage Officer. Information, in the form of digital photographs and a site plan, was made available to CFA by Ginger Development Ltd and Building and Design Services. 1.1.2 The original planning condition required a desk-based assessment followed by a Standing Building survey, but unauthorised development work took place before the archaeological work could be undertaken. The archaeological condition was therefore modified and an enhanced desk-based assessment was carried out, together with a site visit to record any surviving features of the former steading. 1.1.3 The proposed development comprises the alteration of the former Bankton House Steading into five houses and the erection of a building containing four car ports together with associated site works. The structure consists of an L-shaped building, the remains of an earlier U-shaped agricultural complex which was built in the mid 18th century with later modifications in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. The steading is closely connected to Bankton House, which has historical connections with the Battle of Prestonpans (1745). 1.2 Objectives 1.2.1 The objectives of the programme of archaeological works were: 1. to carry out an enhanced desk-based assessment to place Bankton House Steading within its historical context; 2. to conduct a site visit and photograph and record any remains of the former steading; 3. to produce a report on the results of the assessment and site visit. BOUS/13580 3 CFA 2. METHODOLOGY 2.1 General 2.1.1 An effective standard for this type of project has been established by previous desk-based assessments carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd. Recording of all elements was carried out following established CFA methodology and included standard standing building record sheets, sketch drawings, photographic and EDM survey. CFA follows the Codes and appropriate Standards of the Institute of Field Archaeologists. 2.2 Desk-based assessment 2.2.1 Sources consulted during the desk-based assessment are outlined below. 2.2.2 National Monuments Record of Scotland. All relevant records relating to the site and its immediate vicinity were checked and bibliographic sources followed up. 2.2.3 Early map coverage for the area. An examination of all the Ordnance Survey 6" map editions was made, together with any other readily available cartographic information on pre-recent land use in the project area. A search was made of published documentary sources to provide information on the history of the development of the steading. The National Map Library and National Archive of Scotland were consulted. A list of maps examined is included in Section 7.2. 2.2.4 Aerial photographic coverage. Available vertical aerial photographs were examined for cropmark traces and indications of geomorphological variations in the open ground areas around the steading, which might point to buried archaeological remains not visible on the ground. The aerial photographs examined are listed in Section 7.3. 2.2.5 Historical Documentary Search. Readily available documentary sources for the area, including antiquarian accounts and parish descriptions, were checked for relevant information. BOUS/13580 4 CFA 3. DESK-BASED ASSESSMENT RESULTS 3.1 Cartographic sources 3.1.1 The earliest map available from the National Library of Scotland’s archives, which dated to 1682 (Adair), depicts the Olystob estate (now known as Bankton House) but no information on the steading is recorded on this map. 3.1.2 Bankton as we know it first appears on Laurie’s 1766 map (Fig 2). A rectangular building is clearly depicted near the SW corner of a larger rectangular structure (probably Bankton House). The map produced in 1799 by William Furrese (Fig 3) depicts Bankton House with a group of buildings that are likely to relate to the steading. The buildings are adjacent to formal gardens. Knox’s map of 1812 (Fig 4) shows ‘Banktown’ House with associated buildings but contains no details of the steading. 3.1.3 Thomson’s 1821 and 1822 maps (Fig 5) show Bankton House with associated buildings as does Johnson and Gellatly’s 1834 map (Fig 6). Anderson and Hunter’s 1834 map (not illustrated) appears to be a direct copy of Laurie’s 1766 map. Greenwood, Fowler and Sharp’s 1844 map (Fig 7) has Bankton annotated but contains no detail of the steading. 3.1.4 The Ordnance Survey First Edition 1853 6” map shows the steading with a U-shaped plan (Figs 8 & 10) consisting of a collection of buildings arranged around a courtyard, within which a ‘pump’ is depicted. The steading is adjacent to the formal garden associated with Bankton House. The Ordnance Survey First Edition 25” (1892) (Fig 11) also depicts the steading with a U-shaped layout with an additional building now positioned on the SE elevation. The steading is still adjacent to the formal gardens, although the gardens are now laid out as an orchard. The Ordnance Survey Second Edition 25” (1902) show the steading with no change in form; the orchard appears to be out of use, but pathways through it and its boundary are still depicted (Fig 12). The 1921- 28 ‘Popular edition’ map is not detailed, but shows the main buildings (Fig 9). The Ordnance Survey 1933 maps (Fig 13) show that the steading shares the same layout as the previous large-scale map but the pathways associated with the orchard have gone. The Ordnance Survey map of 1960 still follows the same plan, but by this time two buildings situated on the SE corner appear un-roofed. By 1969 Bankton house is un- roofed and the orchard’s boundaries have also disappeared but the steading shows no change from the Ordnance Survey map of the 1960 layout. 3.2 Aerial photographic survey 3.2.1 The vertical aerial photographs show the development of the steading between 1947 and 1996. There are no visible indications of any cropmarks or geomorphological variations on the ground surrounding the steading, within the area of the development. The photographs from 1947 and 1960 show the steading still U-shaped in plan but two small square buildings on the SE corner of the steading (visible on the 1947 photo) had disappeared by 1960. The steading had been reduced to an L-shaped form by 1975 with the removal of the NE building, although the wall footings were still visible. Bankton House was also un-roofed at this time. The 1996 aerial photograph shows no change in the steading, but Bankton House had been restored. The oblique aerial photographs taken by the RCAHMS shows the steading as it was prior to its recent partial removal. BOUS/13580 5 CFA 3.3 National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS) 3.3.1 The NMRS does not hold any records for the steading itself but does contain entries on Bankton House (NMRS No: NT37SE 43.00), Bankton House Dovecot (NMRS No: NT37SE 90) and Bankton House Garden House (NMRS No: NT37SE 43.01).