Excavation

Date 7 April 2018 - 5 November 2018

Event ID 1088724

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1088724

Joyce Durham and Piers Dixon – Peeblesshire Archaeological

Society

NT 31600 31400 Excavation continued, 7 April – 5 November

2018, at the remains of Shootinglee peel house, a fortified

farmstead in what was formally Ettrick Forest. Previous

seasons had revealed that the peel house had been partitioned

to make two living areas at ground floor level at the N end and

had a substantial extension that had been built on at the S end,

also used for domestic purposes. The N end had subsequently

burnt down and the whole building was extensively robbed of

stone. (DES 15, 178: 16, 158; 18, 174–5).

The N end was divided into quadrants for excavation, each of

which was excavated in sequence, starting with the occupation

layer. This had c20mm of burnt debris at the S end, near what

had been the partition, reducing in depth towards the N. Two

central hearths were removed and a further group of hearths

towards the NE corner, all made from weathered whinstone,

suggesting a large hanging lum. Below the burnt layer there

was a made floor of upright packing stones with yellow clay

between, which had been so placed in order to raise the floor

level. Removal of these revealed the rest of the substantial N/S

drain, part of which had been revealed in previous seasons, a

typical feature of bastle and peel houses of the Border country

where the ground floor was used to house cattle. To either side

of the drain was a paved area overlain by patches of concreted

dark brown clay, possibly the residue of byre deposits. At the

S end of the building, removal of the paving stones and hearth

uncovered a second occupation layer also covered with a layer

of burning over another paved surface. A section of the S wall

of the extension was removed to reveal that it was built upon a

scree-like material, which occupies the hillside above the site.

Finds from the building have included clay pipe and metal

objects, including nails, two musket balls (one flattened

from use), and knife blades, probably of domestic type.

Occasional finds of medieval pot suggest that there has been

earlier activity at the site.

Archive: NRHE (intended). Report: Tweeddale Museum

(intended)

Funder: Peeblesshire Archaeological Society

Website: www.peeblesarchsoc.org.uk

(Source: DES, Volume 19)