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Excavation

Date April 2005 - June 2005

Event ID 921230

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/921230

The excavated church site was described in more detail in the SUAT Ltd annual report 2005. The site was discovered during groundbreaking works adjacent to Ballumbie Castle golf course, to the NE of Dundee. Human bone was found and SUAT were asked to assess the situation. It was decided complete excavation was necessary because preservation was not an option. Eight weeks of excavation revealed the remains of the forgotten medieval church, associated Laird's Aisle and graveyard. The medieval activity overlay a completely unknown Early Christian long-cist cemetery that was defined by a ditch. This site has proved to be one of the most important rural medieval church sites excavated in Scotland.

SUAT Ltd 2005

347 Rescue excavation in advance of a new housing development between April and June 2005 located the remains

of the medieval parish church of Ballumbie (NO43SW 4.00) and its associated graveyard. This church originated as a chapel of Lundie and became a parish church in 1470. The church as excavated was of a simple rectangular plan, with a Laird's Aisle attached to its southern side. The aisle contained the remains of at least four human burials, one of which lay in a mural tomb in the southern wall. The church contained many layers of internal burial, concentrated at its western end, and included the burial of a priest on an E-W rather than W-E alignment.

Underlying the medieval church and graveyard lay the remains of a previously unknown long cist cemetery, enclosed by a ditch with an entrance at its western end. The cist burials included both adults and children, and were associated with at least three fragments of cross-incised stones. One of the burials in the cist cemetery had a copper-alloy bracelet on its right wrist. This site was completely excavated prior to its removal for the construction of housing.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Stewart Milne Homes Ltd.

D Hall and R Cachart 2005

People and Organisations

References