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North Berwick, Scottish Seabird Centre
Cemetery (Medieval)
Site Name North Berwick, Scottish Seabird Centre
Classification Cemetery (Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) North Berwick Harbour; Kirk Ness
Canmore ID 183639
Site Number NT58NE 70
NGR NT 5542 8562
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/183639
- Council East Lothian
- Parish North Berwick
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NT58NE 70 5542 5862
See also NT58NE 3.00 and NT58NE 191.
Excavations for the basement of the Scottish Seabird Centre permitted an assessment of deposits in April 1999. These simply consisted of late 19th-century fill deposits overlying the rocky outcrops and beach sand deposits of the former coastline.
Sponsor: Scottish Seabird Centre.
T Addyman 2000.
NT 5541 8562 An evaluation was undertaken in November 2004 in advance of excavation for a new tunnel access between the Scottish Seabird Centre and the administration building on its W side.
The tunnel route cuts across the northernmost point of Anchor Green, the burial ground for St Andrew's Old Kirk, former parish church of North Berwick, now ruined.
In situ archaeological remains were found to exist in the western part of the evaluation area, within three of the trenches. Deposits consisted of redeposited graveyard material containing some charnel, mort-cloth pins and a fragment of white gritty pottery. This overlay a hard clay-earth surface formed over a bed of rough flags; no diagnostic finds, though possibly of medieval date. This in turn overlay an earlier cultural horizon of close similarity to one seen in previous excavations on the site (DES 2000, 27-8), and clearly pre-dating the graveyard deposition. This overlay buried topsoil horizons above bedrock, encountered at 1.2m below the surface.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: Scottish Seabird Centre.
K Macfadyen 2004.
Archaeological evaluation and watching brief, undertaken on 21 December 2006, at two sites by Addyman Archaeology. Work was associated with preparations in advance of the erection of a large memorial dedicated to personnel of the Royal Air Force, Coastal Command, casualties of the Second World War in the Atlantic and the installation of a lamp-post sited in close proximity to the memorial.
The sitting of trenches within the former cemetery of St Andrew's Church raised the distinct possibility of further exposture of medieval and post-medieval inhumations. However, the sitting of the lamppost within a pipe trench already excavated in the recent past and the relative shallowness of the foundation trench, even though a small amount of in situ graveyard fill (003) was excavated no inhumations or earlier archaeological features were encountered. The only artefacts found were a few loose small fragments of graveyard charnel of little analytical significance; this was re-interred within the trench. The ceramic will be included in the assessment of pottery for the site generally as part of the intended wider report.
Addyman Archaeology December 2006
Watching Brief (April 1999)
Excavations for the basement of the Scottish Seabird Centre permitted an assessment of deposits in April 1999. These simply consisted of late 19th-century fill deposits overlying the rocky outcrops and beach sand deposits of the former coastline.
Sponsor: Scottish Seabird Centre.
T Addyman 2000.
Project (June 1999 - March 2000)
A four phased project associated with the construction of the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick. Work undertaken by Addyman Associates and sponsored by Historic Scotland and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
Archaeological Evaluation (November 2004)
NT 5541 8562 An evaluation was undertaken in November 2004 in advance of excavation for a new tunnel access between the Scottish Seabird Centre and the administration building on its W side.
The tunnel route cuts across the northernmost point of Anchor Green, the burial ground for St Andrew's Old Kirk, former parish church of North Berwick, now ruined.
In situ archaeological remains were found to exist in the western part of the evaluation area, within three of the trenches. Deposits consisted of redeposited graveyard material containing some charnel, mort-cloth pins and a fragment of white gritty pottery. This overlay a hard clay-earth surface formed over a bed of rough flags; no diagnostic finds, though possibly of medieval date. This in turn overlay an earlier cultural horizon of close similarity to one seen in previous excavations on the site (DES 2000, 27-8), and clearly pre-dating the graveyard deposition. This overlay buried topsoil horizons above bedrock, encountered at 1.2m below the surface.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: Scottish Seabird Centre.
K Macfadyen 2004.
Radiocarbon Dating
Radiocarbon Dating, Post Excavation, at Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick. Part of project associated with the construction of the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick. Work undertaken by Addyman Associates and sponsored by Historic Scotland and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
