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Burghead, Old Road

Road (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Burghead, Old Road

Classification Road (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Roseisle

Canmore ID 16152

Site Number NJ16NW 15

NGR NJ 11 69

NGR Description NJ 11 69 to NJ 13 67

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/16152

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Moray
  • Parish Duffus
  • Former Region Grampian
  • Former District Moray
  • Former County Morayshire

Archaeology Notes

NJ16NW 15 11 69 to 13 67.

'No traces of an old road leading from Burghead are now to be seen, but a considerable portion of the causeway ... existed not many years ago, near the old town of Roseisle about 3 miles distant. It is described by the person who removed it ... as composed of three distinct beds of large boulders, with intervening layers of sand and earth, some of the stones being of great size. It was called the 'Git rig' and supposed to be of Roman construction ...' (Information from Elgin Curant, June 1860)

When H W Young was excavating at Burghead he found a paved road 16 feet wide running from the point of the promontory straight towards the gateway to the fort until cut by houses built on it. He regarded it as the end of the old road to Roseisle and says that he had traced it (before it was ploughed up) by the boulder stones and metal exposed on the surface all the way from Roseisle to near Burghead.

H W Young 1899.

Between Roseisle (NJ 1367) and Burghead (NJ 1069) a stretch of pavemented road was found. Although similar to Roman roads in Scotland it is more likely to be the work of Cromwell's soldiers who are known to have made causeways around Burghead and Duffus burying grounds.

H B Mackintosh 1924.

No trace of the road was found, but in the museum at the harbour masters office Burghead is an old blurred photograph supposedly showing a section of the road, and on the reverse some notes signed 'H.W.Y' (H W Young) stating that the road seems to run or have run through the old church yard. There is now no evidence of this.

Visited by OS (W D J) 16 September 1963.

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