Publication Account

Date 1988

Event ID 1018271

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018271

The earliest surviving masonry is incorporated in the 15th-century west tower.

The present church has remained unaffected by redevelopment of the adjacent Overgate; the kirkyard, on the other hand, has been almost totally obliterated, surviving only in revetted portions on the north and south of the church, and standing above the level of the adjacent Overgate, Kirk Stile and Nethergate. The improvements carried out in these areas have necessitated the re-grading of the kirkyard to produce the present configuration.

The kirkyard of St Mary was never used as a burial-ground. The use of the ground as a tip in the 16th century may mean that midden deposits survived. The residue of the kirkyard, which appears to survive only as security for the foundations of the church, now stands some feet above the surrounding precinct and may contain midden material and masonry associated with the various phases of destruction. Any future work involving disturbance of these deposits could be usefully monitored.

The body of the present church is probably archaeologically disturbed. The north transept was specifically used as a burial-place. In 1633, the council found 'in times bygane there hes been great abuses be breaking of the floor of the north aisle of the west kirk for burials, and in not paviamenting the same in due season...' (Maxwell, 1884, 254). Some disturbance of earlier levels, if they survive, has therefore probably occurred. In 1814, human remains were discovered beneath the floor of the Steeple Church and in close proximity to the tower. These others are most probably related to the massacre of 1651.

Future work beneath present the floor-level may provide evidence of earlier structural phases.

Information from ‘Historic Dundee: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1988).