Excavation

Date 2002

Event ID 1032710

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1032710

Three trenches were excavated by GUARD in December 1994 in advance of proposed development. Sections of the Antonine Wall base were revealed.

NMRS MS/725/83.

NS 6625 7432 and NS 6628 7433 Excavations were conducted W of the church (at NS 662 742) in 1958 by James Barber (Keppie and Breeze 1981), when the Ditch was found to be only 6.15m wide with a stepped cut, and no trace was found of the Rampart base. In 1980, Lawrence Keppie recorded rather different dimensions some 300m to the E of the church (NS 6630 7434- NS 6655 7450), where the average width of the ditch was found to be 9.2m lip to lip. (Keppie and Breeze 1981), although here again almost all traces of the Rampart base had been ploughed away. The suggestion had been made that this discrepancy in dimensions may have arisen from this area being a point on the Rampart's line where two work parties met (Hanson and Maxwell 1986).

In December 1994 and February 1995, five trenches were opened by GUARD around St. Flannan's Church, three along the line of the Wall and two behind it. The work was conducted in advance of a proposed housing development.

The ephemeral remains of the base of the Rampart were represented by a sparse spread of rounded stones lying on and slightly within the natural subsoil were found in Trench B.

Trench C revealed the relatively well persevered remains of the Antonine Wall. The Rampart base of rounded and angular stones was clearly defined to the N and S by a kerb line of large, rectangular limestone blocks, giving a base width of 4.3m to 4.4m. Above the basal stones, successive layers of turf were recorded, many of which still displayed their original subrectangular block shapes, the whole standing to a maximum height of 0.55m. The old Roman ground surface may be identified as a highly leached layer and presumably formed the Berm. Although only patches survived, the full width of the Berm (from the kerb stones marking the front of the Wall to the southern lip of the ditch) appears to have been around 7m. At the northern limit of the Berm the S lip of the Ditch was encountered. Full dimensions of the Ditch were unable to be established due to unforeseen events. The Rampart base, as established in Trench C, falls within, but at the narrow end of, the range of previously recorded dimensions (Hanson and Maxwell 1986), although its width is consistent with dimensions previously recorded in the Kirkintilloch area (Keppie 1974).

K Speller and A Leslie 2002

A Dunwell, G Bailey, A Leslie, A Smith 2002; W S Hanson and G S Maxwell 1986; L J F Keppie 1974; L J F Keppie and D J Breeze 1981.

NMRS MS/725/83. NS 662 743 Archaeological assessment in advance of proposed development in the grounds of the church, resulted in five trenches being opened by GUARD. Three of these straddled the wall line, the other two being positioned immediately to the S of the wall to test for the existence of any fortlet at this point (Fig 33, p91).

Trenches A, D and E: No surviving archaeological features were recorded.

Trench B: A sparse spread of stones, much disturbed, signified the ephemeral remains of the wall base.

Trench C: A well-preserved stretch of the wall was exposed, surviving to a height of 0.55m. Individual turves were recorded in plan and section, overlying the undisturbed cobble base and kerbing. The berm and part of the ditch were also exposed, although these two elements were disturbed in places by the later farm buildings on the site.

The excellent preservation of the wall in trench C only is due to the sealing of this area by the cobbled yard of Cleddans Farm.

Sponsor: Angle Property and Construction Co.

K Speller 1995.