Mantle Walls

Mantle Walls, or Maltan Walls (Site).

Nothing now remains of this structure, although the outline of the enclosure was still visible in 1857 (THAS 1920, 8). Pococke, writing in 1760, also records (p.344) that “the present walls, of which a good part remains to the east and north, are built with buttresses”. A record of 1794 (Stat. Acct. X, 294 n.) describes the walls as being “strongly built of stone and lime in the figure of a parallelogram” and formerly standing to a considerable height although they had been almost levelled by the time of writing. “Vaults or subterraneous arches” had also been discovered in and near the enclosure, as well as human bones in the fields by the side of the river. The writer goes on to adduce the name “Maltan Walls” in support of “a tradition, generally received in this part of the country, that the building and surrounding fields had been vested in the knights of Malta”; but this is unlikely as Ancrum-Spital was a separate property situated on the E. side of the Ale Water and immediately W. of Monteviot House (Blaue, ‘Teviota’). The Templar lands of Ancrum, again, were recorded in 1649 as being on the estate of Over Ancrum (RMS 1634-51, No. 2025). The “Description of Teviotdale” of 1649 (Geogr. Collections, iii, 158) places a house of Trinitarian or Red Friars at Nether Ancrum; it is true that no such house is included in the list given in the Scotichronicon but this work is not quite complete.

Some further facts telling against the former presence of the Knights of St. John on this site have also been pointed out (THAS loc. cit.), namely that the name Maltan goes back no further than the Old Statistical Account; that Pont's map of about 1654 shows a tower in this position; that Pococke mentions “some remains of walls which are called Mantle Waes”; and that a mantel wall is, in fact, simply a wall of enclosure.

RCAHMS 1956, visited 24 May 1939.

NT 6320 2464 This project aims to examine the suspected site of a bishop’s palace at Mantle Walls, Ancrum. The site is under immediate threat from metal detecting and cultivation. After the discovery of medieval pottery in plough soil and fragments of ashlar masonry in the field margins a two-year archaeological project, which will include several phases of community engagement and investigation, including a full geophysical survey of the field known locally as Mantle Walls, was devised and authorised.

The first phase was the staging of an ‘Artefact Roadshow’ in May 2011. This event aimed to encourage local residents who might have information or materials from the site to make contact. In the event, no new information came to light, though artefacts and information about other sites in the area were brought forward.

The second phase consisted of a detailed geophysical and topographic survey of the site between 4–7 November 2011, which was organised and undertaken by the University of Glasgow. The gradiometer survey revealed numerous rectilinear anomalies at the crest of the hill, which likely relate to the external and internal walls of a medieval structure, as reported at or near this location since the 18th century. Related linear anomalies included possible stone walled enclosures or drainage features, and an unexpected byre-like structure in the lower ground to the S of the principal cluster of features. The resistance survey was more limited in scale, but also revealed rectilinear anomalies on a similar orientation to those seen in the magnetic survey. Both techniques show a high level of disturbance to the underlying archaeology. The character of the anomalies, quality of preservation and potentially stratified dating evidence will be examined in a further phase of evaluation trenching.

Archive: University of Glasgow

Funder: Historic Scotland

University of Glasgow and Scottish Border Council, 2011

Informationalso reported in Oasis (scottish2-116665) 5 January 2012

NT 6320 2464 Resistivity survey.

Archive: University of Glasgow

Funder: Historic Scotland

University of Glasgow and Scottish Border Council, 2011

Informationalso reported in Oasis (scottish2-116665) 5 January 2012

NT 6320 2464 Magnetometry survey.

Archive: University of Glasgow

Funder: Historic Scotland

University of Glasgow and Scottish Border Council, 2011

Informationalso reported in Oasis (scottish2-116665) 5 January 2012

NT 6320 2464 An excavation was undertaken 1–5 October 2012 of magnetic anomalies discovered during a geophysical survey at Mantle Walls, Ancrum (DES 12, 160). A number of local metal detector users and volunteer excavators took part in the week long excavation.

Trench A was opened over an anomaly at the foot of the hill which was thought to indicate the presence of a small outbuilding but, upon excavation it contained only ephemeral traces of heavily disturbed walling.

Two trenches, 2.5 x 5m, were opened on the summit of the hill where the survey had indicated the presence of the foundations of a masonry structure. Trench B contained a complex sequence of demolition and backfill events, including the remains of a robber trench containing 12th- to 13th-century medieval ceramic fine wares and fragments of painted wall plaster, at 0.7m below the plough soil.

Trench C revealed in situ mortared masonry walls starting at 0.2m below the current ground surface. A N–S running wall was partially robbed out, but one section survived up to 1m in height. This wall was built of coursed sandstone rubble with a chamfered ashlar jamb suggesting a blocked-up doorway, with a later, roughly mortared W–E cross wall abutting it. The features in this trench suggest the presence of a large medieval masonry structure of some pretension. This evidence goes some way to confirming reports of a palace of the medieval bishops of Glasgow in this area, described as a ruin in the 18th century. Neither trenches were bottomed out and the results indicate that deeply stratified medieval deposits do survive at the summit of the hill, although they are under direct threat from ploughing. Unstratified finds included medieval to modern ironwork, melted lead fragments and a small collection of post-medieval coins. Two intact lead musket balls were found along with evidence these were being manufactured on site.

Archive: Historic Scotland, RCAHMS and Scottish Borders SMR

Funder: Historic Scotland

Adrián Maldonado, University of Glasgow

2012

NT 6320 2464 Archive research and a previous excavation

suggests this ridge on the outskirts of Ancrum could be the

site of a medieval ‘palace’ of the Bishops of Glasgow. Several

seasons fieldwalking, 2015–18, encouraged by previous work

by Alistair Monro (and licensed by HES on the scheduled

area), has produced substantial finds of white gritty and

green glazed ware, nails, slag, oyster shells and butchered

bone. A small excavation was also undertaken on the edge of

the site when archaeological remains were discovered while

cataloguing discarded masonry. The first trench uncovered

a possible drainage feature of fist-sized stones. The second

trench uncovered portions of a substantial wall over a metre

thick. Though the outer face of masonry had been robbed

the inner face was intact to over a metre deep, with traces

of plaster attached.

Archive: TBD

Geoff Parkhouse – Ancrum and District Heritage Society

(Source: DES, Volume 19)

Visibility: This was the site of an archaeological monument, which may no longer be visible.

Information from Scottish Borders Council

Previously also listed under duplicate site NT96SW 510 -CANCELLED. HES (LCK) 11.6.2024