Archaeology Notes

Event ID 846370

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/846370

NT27NE 1130 27114 76259

NT 271 762 A trial trenching evaluation was undertaken between February and March 2004 in advance of development to the W of the existing presbytery building. Trench 1 demonstrated that the southern end of the area had been heavily disturbed by recent development and no further work took place in this area.

In Trench 2 the remains of Balmerino House were identified overlying medieval deposits. This trench was extended and full excavation of an area within the footprint of the new build followed, revealing a sequence of activity from the medieval period through to the 1970s. The main elements of this activity included: a sequence of medieval activity including features and deposits (Phases 1-3); a group of four apparently related skeletons and some disarticulated remains of a fifth, which are thought to be late 15th-17th century in date (Phase 4); and the remains of Balmerino House (Phase 5), which survived only as foundations and the cellar floor.

Report lodged with Edinburgh SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsor: Gregor Properties Ltd.

R White 2004

NT 271 762 A watching brief was undertaken in February 2006 in Area B during site clearance and ground reduction at St Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church in Leith. The work uncovered two vaulted, brick-lined cellars, probably contemporaneous with one uncovered during an earlier evaluation. These features are thought to date from the 18th/19th century. Area A of the site was excavated in 2004 and uncovered evidence of medieval activity and human remains (DES 2004, 57).

The archive will be deposited with the NMRS and copies of the report have been deposited with the NMRS and the City of Edinburgh SMR.

Sponsor: Gregor Properties Ltd

R White 2006.