Excavation

Date 2001

Event ID 551221

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/551221

NT 2725 7658 An archaeological excavation was carried out prior to housing development at this site which lies within the area thought to contain part of the wall of the 16th-century Ramsay's Fort. No trace of Ramsay's Fort was found through excavation and it is possible that it lay further to the W or S of the present site.

A substantial wall of later date was uncovered. This is thought to be part of a fortification built by Edinburgh Town Council in 1649 to protect against attack from parliamentary forces following the execution of Charles I. This was later faced with a sea wall constructed from rounded boulders. Inclusions of glass slag within this structure suggest that it dates to the mid-18th century or later. Midden deposits containing large quantities of pottery, both local and imported wares, and clay pipe dating to the 17th to 18th centuries were also uncovered, together with quantities of glass slag. The probable 17th-century fortification and the sea wall have been preserved in situ outwith the footprint of the proposed development.

Sponsor: Bryant Homes Scotland Ltd.

H Moore and G Wilson 2001