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Inverness, Eastgate
Palisade (12th Century), Town Ditch (Medieval)
Site Name Inverness, Eastgate
Classification Palisade (12th Century), Town Ditch (Medieval)
Canmore ID 13373
Site Number NH64NE 22
NGR NH 668 453
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/13373
- Council Highland
- Parish Inverness And Bona
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Inverness
- Former County Inverness-shire
NH64NE 22 66 45
(NH 6652 4557 - 6696 4530) (NH 6667 4497 - 6749 4563) "William the Lion...in 1180 undertook to make a moat round the town, while the burghers were bound to build a palisade (Information from a charter granted to Inverness by William the Lion, 1180). Part of the moat which ran along the present line of Academy Street, became at a later day the receptacle of waste from the tanneries, and was accordingly known as Foul Pool"
G Eyre-Todd 1923.
"The Fosse or Foul Pool. There existed a large ditch or pool under the above name, extending along the upper and middle part of Academy Street...the ditch was finally closed up as a nuisance."
C Fraser-Mackintosh 1913.
"The remains of this ditch are still visible" (Information from MS of Sir Aeneas Mackintosh covering the period 1770-1821).
"It was part of a ditch that extended along the face of the terrace, from the top of Castle Street to the point of Victoria Terrace, and had a palisade. Another ditch and palisade ran from the top of Stephen's Brae to Inglis St. and along the line of the present Academy Street."
T Wallace 1917.
Excavation (1976)
Medieval Defences NH 668 453
An excavation by W G Duncan of the Department of the Environment was aimed at locating the town's E defences. According to historical information there had been a series of defences dating back to the 12th century in the reign of William the Lion. Information also suggested that the line of the late medieval defences on the E side of the town was along Academy Street, Hamilton Street, and Ardconnel Terrace.
It was decided to concentrate effort on the Hamilton St. area where a 5 x 10m trench (Trench A) at right angles to Hamilton St. was stripped to a depth of 0.5m but revealed only modern rubble. A 2 x 10m trial strip was therefore taken down a further 1.5m and mediaeval features consisting of two patches of dark organic soil were revealed. The larger of the two was almost certainly linear and likely to be the defensive ditch of the town. Depositional layers yielded pottery, bone, leather and metal probably of late mediaeval date. In addition to the linear feature, at least three circular pits, one stone and one clay lined, were defined. The fact that the town ditch cut these pits indicates that it is either of late mediaeval date or a re-cutting of an earlier ditch. The pits had been used for dumping rubbish but this may not have been their original purpose. From the clay and stone lining, they may have had an industrial use. It is known that the town E of Church St. was given over to tanning, and these pits could have been tanning pits.
Trench B, measuring 2 x 5 x 2m, was cut along the possible line of the ditch c.7m N of Trench A. This cut proved an extension of the ditch and showed it to be 6m wide and 1.14m deep at the centre, which was the deepest point. It was curved in section, and probably originally deeper. Its defensive value would be in its width rather than its depth. There was no trace of any defensive wall or palisade.
W G Duncan 1976.
