Watching Brief

Date August 2007

Event ID 579105

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/579105

NS 3982 7536 Ground-breaking works were monitored during the redevelopment of Dumbarton Sheriff Court. An evaluation was undertaken in the area to the E of the Court building in August 2007. The impact of 19th-century and later developments in this area was significant. Service pipes and building foundations truncated the buried soil deposits and cut through to natural sand. Although no archaeological features were observed, fragments of green glaze and white ceramic pottery were recovered from the buried horticultural soil. A watching brief undertaken in the areas to the S and E of the court uncovered the remains of buildings extant until the 1960s. Although no archaeological features were observed, a considerable depth of topsoil was encountered. The soil became paler towards the base, which would be consistent with garden soil that had not

been disturbed or turned over to any depth in recent years. The gardens shown on the 19th-century maps of the site could have caused these conditions.

Archive: RCAHMS

Funder: Rok Group Ltd

Laura Scott (Headland Archaeology Ltd), 2008