Excavation

Date May 2019

Event ID 1107504

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1107504

NS 57491 74774 In May 2019, a second season of excavation took place at the site of an 18th century lint (flax) mill that was depicted on an 1805 plan of Kettlehill Farm, as a rectangular roofed building adjacent to a mill dam. Four trenches, first opened in 2018, were extended and a new trench was excavated.

Two low walls, 0.5m apart, formed a mill lade about 9m long. The junction with the stream at the N end was marked by large squared stones that were not exposed fully in order to reduce erosion by the stream. At the southern end the stone lade faded away and the channel became an informal V-shaped cut. There was a square stone setting towards the southern end of the lade which was interpreted as a drain. This would have taken water eastwards from the lade out to the stream, beneath large slabs and boulders. A substantial wall that supported the lade turned 90 degrees and headed towards the stream about 2m south of the drain. The mill itself was not located, although remains of coursed stonework on the stream side have the potential to be associated with the mill. Several lengths of stonework adjacent to the stream were cleared of vegetation and it is thought that these could be either remains of the lade leading to the mill, or a revetment of the stream bank.

Archive: NRHE (intended)

Funder: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland

Paul Bishop and Heather James - Calluna Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 20)