Archaeology Notes

Event ID 682950

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/682950

NO12SW 25 1414 2176

(NO 1415 2175) (Site of) Nunnery (NR)

OS 6" map, (1938)

The foundation of the Cistercian nunnery at Elcho is attributed to David Linsday of Glenesk before 1241. The nunnery was burned by the English in December 1547, and between that time and 26th September 1559 it was attacked by Reformers, who drove out the nuns and completely destroyed their house.

It was erected into a temporal lordship for Lord Scone in 1610.

D E Easson 1957.

'Nothing is to be seen of it but the tower of the Church and the foundations of buildings.'

B Pococke 1887.

'The site of the buildings may yet be faintly traced..'

R S Fittes 1877.

An area about 35.0 metres square at NO 1414 2176 is enclosed within a grassed over bank up to 1.0m high, Within this area there appear to be the grassed over foundations of at least two rectangular buildings. Only a cursory inspection was possible owing to the presence of hostile livestock.

Visited by OS (R D L) 11 October 1963.

Excavations by members of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science revealed the church, which was shown to have three building periods. A cup-marked stone was found, incorporated in a buttress. Burials were also uncovered, while small finds include stained glass fragments and pottery sherds of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The finds and archive from the excavation are in Perth Museum (Acc Nos: 1983, 747,

756 and 763-7)

Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Archaeology Section, 1968; Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Archaeology Section, 1969; Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Archaeology Section, 1970; Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Archaeology Section, 1971; A G Reid 1984.

A further roof tile from the Elcho Nunnery excavations (Perthshire Scientific & Natural History Society, 1988) has been donated to Perth Museum (Acc No 1988.27).

A G Reid 1988.

The site of the Cisterian Nunnery at Grange of Elcho is situated in an arable field about 180m E of Orchardnook steading (NO12SW 334). In the late 1960's and early 1970's part of the site (the church) was excavated by members of the Archaeological Section of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science. The excavation trenches were backfilled when the excavation ceased but the following items are held in the Elcho Nunnery Archive at Perth Museum:

PMAG: 1983.700-703.1-7 worked stone

PMAG: 1983.704-708 pottery);

PMAG: 1983.709-16 glass

PMAG: 1983.717-21 non-ferrous metalwork

PMAG: 1983.722 iron

PMAG: 1983.723 coins

PMAG: 1983.724 metal waste

PMAG: 1983.725 nails

PMAG: 1983.726 flint

PMAG: 1983.727 jet

PMAG: 1983.728 wood

PMAG: 1983.729 bone pipe

PMAG: 1983.730 worked oyster shell

PMAG: 1983.731 animal remains

PMAG: 1983.732 bone

PMAG: 1983.733-35 human bone

PMAG: 1983. 736-39 metal and stone not reported

PMAG: 1983.740-47 paper archive

PMAG: 1983.756 animal bone

PMAG: 763 & 767 bone

PMAG: 1983. 764-5 environmental samples

PMAG: 1983.766 clay pipes

PMAG: 1984. 349 & 1986.289-292 slides

PMAG: 1984.348 copy of will of Euphemia, Prioress of Elcho.

The whereabouts of the cup-marked stone found during the excavation are unknown

Information from Mr M Hall (Perth Museum), 24 March 1997.