Ancrum, Old Ancrum Bridge

Wessex Archaeology was asked by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to undertake a survey of the remains of a medieval or early modern bridge in the River Teviot, Scottish Borders near Ancrum.

The remains of the bridge were discovered by Ancrum and District Heritage Society (ADHS) in the River Teviot in 2018. The site consists of the remains of two foundations or pier bases of a bridge, lying submerged

beneath the northern and central arches of the 1784 bridge. The northern foundation is heavily eroded, with only two kerbstones and two pieces of timber visible. The southern foundation is more complete, with numerous kerbstones and timbers visible.

A photogrammetric survey; an interpretive total station survey; close visual inspection and photography; and timber sampling for dendrochronological analysis were undertaken on the

foundations in July 2020.

The southern foundation was likely built in the period 1340-60 AD and formed part of a four arched (at least partly) masonry bridge. The construction process involved the use of branders, a process not previously archaeologically witnessed in Scotland. It seems that the timber framework was constructed and pinned into the riverbed first, before the stonework of the pier and cut water was added on top. One timber likely predates the 14th century construction of the bridge, and may have been reused from a previous earlier bridge on the site. It is unknown who built the bridge, but the likeliest candidate seems to be the church.

These bridge remains represent the earliest scientifically dated in situ bridge remains in Scotland. The bridge may have played a pivotal role within the history of Scotland, representing one of the few (and for long periods possibly the only) permanent crossing existing on the Teviot/Tweed in the medieval period

Information from Dr. Robert MacKintosh, Wessex Archaeology, October 2020

NT 63872 23750 A multi-faceted, local community driven project, in partnership with HES, Dendrochronicle, CARD Fund, Wessex Archaeology Coastal and Marine and SUERC, has led to the discovery and dating of one of Scotland’s earliest bridges.

The Society discovered the remains in the bed of the River Teviot in 2018, under the arches of the 1784 Toll Bridge. This verified archive references to an earlier bridge. That bridge is likely to have stood for over 350 years.

The remains comprised of pier foundations and oak branders (a wooden frame set into the riverbed). The timbers lie under the stone kerb foundations and are therefore the earliest part of the construction. From ADHS sampling, Coralie Mills of Dendrochronicle was able to identify the timber as very probably local native oak, but has so far been unable to dendro-date the branders due to lack of contemporary data, a situation which may change through the wider development of regional SE Scottish oak reference data through her SESOD research project. Wessex Archaeology underwater team surveyed, evaluated and photographed the site, retrieving more oak samples. Samples of the oak were sent to SUERC for carbon 14 dating, (funded by CARD and HES). The results gave a dating to the mid 14th century. These are the oldest scientifically dated remains of a bridge ever found in their original position across one of Scotland’s rivers. This is the first time branders have been found in an archaeological context in Scotland, a rare survival of this part of an early bridge, and in a nationally strategic location.

The 650 year-old remains appear to have been sealed under the riverbed until very recently. Recent storms and flood surges have exposed them. Now that they are exposed, they are under immediate threat of destruction. ADHS monitoring and Wessex Archaeology survey has proven that one quarter of the best-preserved pier platform has been undermined and lost to erosion over the past two years. The Society continues to monitor the riverbed remains, seeks to retrieve more data and continues to archive research the story of the bridge and its part in local, regional and national history.

Funders: Historic Environment Scotland and Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund

Geoff Parkhouse – Ancrum and District Heritage Society (ADHS)

(Source: DES Volume 21)

NT 63871 23750 Wessex Archaeology was asked by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to undertake a survey of the submerged remains of a medieval bridge in the River Teviot, near Ancrum. The remains of the bridge were discovered by Ancrum and District Heritage Society (ADHS) in 2018 (DES Volume 21, 111: Canmore ID: 365688). The survey took place in July 2021.

In collaboration with ADHS a photogrammetric survey, an interpretive total station survey, and close visual inspection and photography were undertaken on the bridge foundations in July 2020. Timber samples were also collected for dendrochronological analysis by Dr Coralie Mills of Dendrochronicle, and radiocarbon dating by SUERC. These added to samples previously collected by Dr Mills and ADHS in 2019.

The site consists of the remains of two foundations or pier bases of a bridge, lying submerged beneath the northern and central arches of an extant 18th-century bridge. The northern foundation is heavily eroded, with only two kerbstones and two pieces of timber visible. The southern foundation is more complete, with numerous kerbstones and timbers visible, though also vulnerable to ongoing erosion.

The location and structure of the pier bases suggest they were part of a four arched (at least partly) masonry bridge. The construction process involved the use of branders, a process not previously archaeologically witnessed in Scotland. It seems that a timber framework was constructed and pinned into the riverbed, before the stonework of the pier and cutwater was added on top.

Based on HES-funded ‘wiggle match’ radiocarbon dating at SUERC of one oak timber, and a single CARD-funded radiocarbon date of a separate timber, the southern foundation was likely built in the mid-14th century AD. Efforts continue to refine further the dating of this bridge sub-structure through dendrochronology, hampered by a current lack of reference data for this region and period.

These bridge remains represent the earliest scientifically dated in situ bridge remains in Scotland. The date of the construction of the bridge is significant as it falls within the Second Wars of Scottish Independence and around the time of the arrival of the Black Death in Scotland. For these reasons, the mid-14th century had previously not been considered particularly favourable for bridge building.

Archive: NRHE

Funders: Historic Environment Scotland; Archaeological Research Services Ltd and SUERC (for the CARD radiocarbon date)

Robert Mackintosh – Wessex Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 22)

The discovery of Ancrum Old Bridge (River Teviot, Scotland) in 2018 was a significant archaeological finding for Scotland. Wiggle match radiocarbon dating placed construction of the bridge to around 1340–1360 Cal. AD (95.4 %); a period of political and social instability in the region. Oxygen isotope dendrochronology was applied to refine this date range and to provide a precise felling date for the bridge timbers. Somewhat unexpectedly, a felling date of winter AD 1428/29 was identified. This date was obtained using a reference chronology for the southern United Kingdom and independently verified against a new local isotope chronology developed from native Scottish oak. This new date falls within a more stable period in Scotland’s history which may have been more suited to major construction projects such as Ancrum Old Bridge. These results highlight the importance for radiocarbon end users to consider the nature of dating uncertainty when interpreting results, especially when the probability distribution is multi-modal.

Information from D. Davies (Department of Geography, Swansea University), C.M. Mills (Dendrochronicle and School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews), D. McCarroll (Department of Geography, Swansea University) and N.J. Loader (Department of Geography, Swansea University) 2024