Excavation

Date 2012

Event ID 993535

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/993535

NF 81625 60285 Teampull na Trionaid (Trinity Church) is a medieval monastery and college founded and built in the 14th century and reconstructed in the 16th century. The chapel is reputed to have been enlarged in the late 14th century and remained in use until the early 18th century. The burial ground is enclosed by a curvilinear 18th-century wall. Repairs to the building were carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A topographical and standing building survey, a watching brief during the removal of fallen masonry, and the excavation of three trial trenches, were carried out June – July 2011 in association with a wider programme of conservation work.

A Level 3 standing building survey established that the structural remains consist of two chapels. A large rectangular structure aligned E–W, with a smaller rectangular chapel on its N side. The two chapels are c1.5m apart and connected by a barrel-vaulted passage which is bonded to both buildings. On the S side of the main chapel there is an adjoining structure, known locally as the enclosure, which was constructed in the 18th century. The buildings were laser scanned and elevation drawings and a photographic record produced.

The topographic survey established that the church is located on the 11m OD contour and ground levels are higher inside the church and chapel, reflecting the impact of over 700 years of interments. All of the graves were aligned N–S. Scaled drawings were produced of the complex in relation to the graveyard boundary wall and 5m beyond the wall. An examination of late 19th-century photographs indicates that the site has deteriorated considerably due to stone robbing and continued erosion by the elements, despite stabilisation work carried out in 1994–5.

The watching brief led to the recovery of 42 pieces of moulded stone. A human skull was also recovered and retained for future reburial. Two of the trial trenches (Trenches 1 and 3) excavated next to the main church building identified good quality wall foundations suitable for the intended stabilisation works. Trench 2 excavated next to the S wall of the enclosure on the S side of the main church identified poor quality foundation walls, which had sunk into soft ground, causing the outward collapse of the wall. The excavation of Trench 2 was terminated on the discovery of articulated human skeletons.

The finds recovered were mainly of 19th-century date or a mix of animal and human bone. Apart from 23 fragments, all human remains were either left in situ or reburied in Trench 2. A small group of sherds of probable Middle Iron Age pottery were also recovered. The location of the site on a small natural knoll with good views over the surrounding landscape would have represented an ideal site for early settlement. It is considered probable that the remains of Iron Age settlement are preserved somewhere in the immediate vicinity, although they are very likely to have been significantly disturbed by the later activity.

Archive: CNES SMR and RCAHMS

Funder: Teampull na Trionaid Conservation Trust

Magnus Kirby, CFA Archaeology Ltd

2012