Archaeology InSites

The Cemetery Revealed

Excavation revealed that the graves had been laid out roughly in rows with many of them lined with upright stones in keeping with the earlier accounts. This type of burial is known by archaeologists as a long cist, and once the body is placed in the grave, a slab or capstone is placed over the top, sealing it. They are generally associated with Christian practices of the early medieval period, and the extensive suite of radiocarbon dates obtained from the remains confirmed the cemetery had been in use between the mid-5th century and the mid-6th century AD. The stones used in the cists were mostly of local sandstone though three of the graves incorporated Roman stone, possibly taken from the bathhouse at Elginhaugh fort. The soil conditions meant that bone preservation was poor on the whole but analysis nonetheless revealed a population in relatively good health with few indications of bone trauma or disease. Of particular interest was the skeleton of a young woman who had unusual wear on her lower front teeth. Experts interpreted this as having been caused by repeatedly gripping material in her mouth, possibly a result of textile making.

Long cists were not the only type of grave found in the cemetery and there were also graves visible only as stains in the soil, perhaps reflecting the use of timber coffins rather than stone cists. Three were particularly unusual, with two graves enclosed within square ditches and another with the imprints of postholes at each of its four corners, practices reminiscent of pre-Christian practice. It seems likely that the people who placed their dead in these particular graves wanted to distinguish them from the others in the cemetery.
Driving past the area today, there is nothing to suggest that the cemetery was ever there, much like in 1838 when the unsuspecting labourers began excavating the sandy soil. Like so many archaeological sites, our knowledge of their presence is the result of simple chance discoveries. In the case of Newfarm, it was a series of discoveries and rediscoveries over a hundred and fifty years that would eventually piece together its overall extent and significance.

Further Reading:

Rees, A. (2002) A first Millennium AD cemetery, rectangular Bronze Age structure and late prehistoric settlement at Thornybank, Midlothian', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 132, 2002. Page(s): 313-356

Macleod, N (1848) ‘The Parish of Dalkeith’, The New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. 1 Edinburgh. Page(s): 502 Leanne McCafferty - Data Project Manager