Brackmont Mill

NO42SW 10 436 223

See also NO42SW 60

(NO 4383 2239) In 1936 and 1939 a large number of urn burials and cremations were discovered during the working of a sandpit at Brackmont Mill, a mile NW of Leuchars. "All these burials were on the ridge of a natural spur, in the northern part of the large sand pit, and due west of the buildings of Brackmont Mill: the area covered by this cemetery is approximately 90 yards E-W and 35 yards N-S."

The finds comprised:

A. 13 cinerary urns inverted over cremated bones. 9 were classified by Childe as Class II, i.e. with broad overhanging rim, concave neck and well marked shoulder. The other four were of Class III, i.e. with heavy projecting rim, but flat neck and vague shoulder. Two of the urns contained biconical incense cups and another an ivory buckle and bone toggle.

B. A sparsely decorated food-vessel, holding the bones of a child. It is unique in Scotland, in being of Abercromby's type E, hitherto found only in Ireland, (Gogan 1929) and in having a pottery lid: and a small vessel, incised all over, found upright and containing infant bones.

C. 3 pits containing a layer of Charcoal and bone fragments. One was surrounded by deep narrow holes filled with cremation debris.

D. Sundry implements of local agate and felsite, bone and imported flint, and bone pins. There were also several sherds of glazed mediaeval pottery and a fragment of a Roman mortarium.

E. Several shallow depressions, about 10ft in diameter with a hearth of large stones in the centre, covered with black ash.

Five other burial sites were discovered in 1946 and 1948 by Leslie Spence (1951), outside the well-defined area of the cemetery and numbered on a map prepared by him:

I. A plain food-vessel, upright and containing a few bone fragments.

II. A food-vessel, decorated with red impressions, no contents.

III. The cremated bones of a young adult, found with oak charcoal, two feet below the surface.

I, II and III were in a sandpit.

IV. Fragments of three urns in a ploughed field, with fragments of flint, a bone pin and a piece of bronze. The urns had cordons, but two were not quite normal cordoned urns. The third had a cordon inside the rim.

V. A group of cremations in a ploughed field to the NW of the cemetery. Quantities of bone were scattered over a wide area.

In 1939, a fragment of a beaker was found. It was not considered to be part of the cemetery, as it was found by itself, without bones or relics, 100 yards from the main group of urns.

The cemetery shows the retention of the Wessex tradition from England and is dated between 1400 and 700 BC. The "ivory buckle" is closely allied to the famous gold buckle from the Wessex burial in Bush Barrow, Normanton (Wilts 54 SW 56).

The Keeper of the National Museum of Antiquities considered that the Food Vessels at I and II were contemporary with the cinerary urns of the cemetery ahd suggested that Brackmont Hill was the secene of a "fusion of the food-vessel people with the urn-culture".

J B Mears 1937; D Waterston 1941; V G Childe and D Waterston 1942; V G Childe 1946

In 1954, a cinerary urn and a food vessel were found by R D M Candie (The site marked VI on the inset map.)

Information from F T Wainwright 28 October 1955

15 cinerary urns from Brackmont Mill are in the Bell-Pettigrew museum.

(NO 4366 2233 'A') A food vessel with a pottery lid was found at 'A' (site indicated on ground) early in 1956. It is at present on loan to the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh. In Mr Spence's (owner, Brackmont sand-pit) possession are 6 cinerary urns, 3 incense cups, 2 food vessels, and sherds of other urns. It is his intention to obtain the vessels on loan to the museums, and to form a collection at Brackmont.

Visited by OS (DS) 19 October 1956

None of the find spots can now be identified on the ground with any greater accuracy than that of the previous authorities. All the urns are in the NMAS. The whereabouts of the other finds could not be ascertained or confirmed. No finds have been made since 1956 (I L Spence, Brackmont sand pit).

Visited by OS (RDL) 5 June 1964

(Centred NO 4385 2233) A type B Beaker from a sandpit from Brackmont MIll, 1 mile NW of Leuchars: in 1939, in the course of excavation for sand, a fragment of a beaker of Type B was found. Neck and rim and half the body were missing. It was of rather coarse clay, decorated with horizontal cord-imprints. At about the same time, and in the same sandpit, a number of overhanging rim urns were being found, all forming a well defined cemetery. "The Beaker...need not be treated as part of the cemetery, since it was found broken and without any associated bones or relics about 100 yards from the main group of urns." There is an example of a cord-ornamented type B beaker already recorded in Fife. (i.e. from Law Park, St Andrews).

I H Longworth et al 1968; L Spence 1951

The find spot cannot be identified on the ground. The beaker is believed to be in the NMAS.

Visited by OS (RDL) 5 June 1964

Excavation of a Late Bronze Age urnfield at Southfield in 1961-2 produced 49 cremations, 40 of which were urn burials. Five of the urns contained bronze daggers. Two food vessels and a faience bead much like a spindle whorl in appearance were also found.

R Crerar 1962

Four of the forty urns found are in Dundee Museum: the remainder are still in the possession of Mr Crerar, 302, Ferry Road, Dundee, who with Mr R Candow, 8 Glebe Gardens, Tayport carried out the excavation. The bronze daggers would be better described as blades. One is in the NMAS and the rest in Dundee Museum. The faience bead is also in Dundee Museum (J D Boyd, Dundee Museum).

Visited by OS (RDL) 12 June 1964

The farmer, at Southfield (Mr A Douglas), indicated the approximate spot, at NO 4362 2214, where the urns were found.

Visited by OS (RDL) 5 June 1964