Bannockburn, Stirling - Watching Brief (Project 6291)
Date 15 May 2023 - 23 May 2023
Event ID 1172685
Category Recording
Type Watching Brief
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1172685
GUARD Archaeology Limited were commissioned by Scottish Water to undertake an archaeological watching brief and metal detecting survey during the excavation of a pipe trench within the grounds of The Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre. This Watching Brief was undertaken during excavations conducted between 15/05/23 and 23/05/23. Several metallic objects of likely nineteenth or twentieth century date were recovered during the metal detecting survey. Excavation of the pipe trench encountered heavily mixed deposits containing relatively modern material. The watching brief encountered no significant archaeological remains.
METAL DETECTING SURVEY
The metal detecting survey conducted within the area to be excavated recovered 27 metallic objects. 25 of these objects were iron/iron-alloy, and two were copper-alloy. All were recovered from either the uppermost turf layer, or from deposit (001), the topsoil.
TEST PIT
The trench was excavated to a total depth of c.1.2 m. Three distinct deposits were encountered; (001), (002), and (003).
Deposit (001) appears to comprise of a combination of made ground and heavily mixed topsoil. Finds recovered from the deposit were primarily from the twentieth century, probably representative of loss or discard from the site’s use for commemorative gatherings for the Battle of Bannockburn anniversaries and other NTS events.
Finds recovered from deposit (001) comprise of twentieth century ceramic fragments, glass fragments, and metal fragments. Several of these finds are suggestive of previous construction work, for example: a fragment of copper-alloy measuring tape SF10; an iron rasp SF13; and a modern graphite drawing stick SF21. Similar graphite stick fragments were recovered during the surveys carried out in 2012 (Bailie); these are thought to relate to the construction of the rotunda in 1962-64, being dropped or discarded by the construction team. One fragment of horseshoe SF19 and one intact horseshoe SF9 were also recovered, with the presence of a “toe clip” on SF9 suggesting a twentieth or later nineteenth century date of manufacture (Sparkes, 1989: 26).
Deposit (002) appears to comprise the subsoil across the working area. Several examples of agricultural field drains were encountered, each oriented north to south, suggesting that the area was previously utilised as agricultural land, before being developed into the current open parkland we see today.
WATCHING BRIEF
The archaeological watching brief identified archaeological remains relating previous land-use and development in the area.
The watching brief encountered no significant archaeological remains. It is therefore advised no further archaeological works are likely to be required by Stirling Council Archaeologist for this part of the main pipe diversion works on this development.
Information from OASIS Id: guardarc1-437945 (Barbour, J.) 2023
