Test Pit Survey
Date 22 August 2013 - 30 August 2013
Event ID 975847
Category Recording
Type Test Pit Survey
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/975847
The investigations at Cambusbarron and Redhall involved 44 volunteers in a metaldetecting survey, a geophysical survey and in the excavation of 24 targeted hand excavated 1 m² test pits. This work was carried out as part of ongoing work leading up to the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in June 2014, in collaboration with The Centre for Battlefield Archaeology, The National Trust for Scotland, Stirling Council and BBC Scotland.
The metal-detecting survey retained a total of 560 finds. The discard included post imperial coinage, agricultural machinery debris and modern refuse. The retained finds included 12 coins ranging from a hammered copper alloy (pre-seventeenth century) coin. There were coin identifiable to the nineteenth and twentieth century although most of the milled coins bore no unidentifiable marks. Other finds included equestrian items such as 26 horse shoes (or fragments) and one spur fragment. Also recovered
were six copper alloy buttons, two lead buttons and four buckles (2 iron, 2 copper alloy). The remaining majority of finds are as yet unidentified.
The geophysical survey did reveal several anomalies using resistivity. Unfortunately on this occasion none of the test pits targeting the anomalies uncovered built remains, human remains or features that could be definitively related to the Battlefield of Bannockburn or the site of the chapel. However the anomalies found in the common area did correspond to early attempts at terracing the slope at Cambusbarron. These topographic modifications may well be contemporary with the use of this site for the medieval chapel.
The material culture recovered from the test pits included medieval ceramic dating from thirteenth through to the fifteenth century. The assemblage at Cambusbarron included one sherd of white gritty ware, some Scottish red ware sherds and reduced green-glazed pottery as well as considerable amounts of late medieval 14/15 th C green-glazed pottery sherds. Finds from the test pits at Redhall also included pottery of similar 14/15th C date, a copper alloy tool and a small lentoid copper alloy object
with a pointed end.
Information from Oasis (darc1-172403) 10 March 2014
