Kinneddar, Old Parish Church And Burial-ground

NJ 2230 6960 As part of the Northern Picts Project surveys and excavations have been undertaken in an area stretching from Aberdeenshire to Shetland targeting sites that can help contextualize the character of society in the early medieval period in northern Pictland.

During the medieval period Kinneddar was one of the seats of the Bishop’s of Moray. Earlier origins to the site are suggested by an extensive collection of early medieval sculpture from the site. This includes cross-slabs, shrine fragments and at least one Pictish stone. The most likely

context of this sculpture is an early monastery. Two surveys were conducted, 28–30 May and 9–11 November 2015, with the aim of identifying any features, such as a monastic vallum around the modern cemetery of Kinneddar. The survey was conducted in the fields to the S and W of the Kinneddar Cemetery and in the scheduled area that covers the supposed site of the Bishop’s Palace to the north.

The area N of the cemetery revealed a diverse range of anomalies which confirm the presence of the Bishop’s Palace in this area. The anomalies hint at wall fragments and extensive remains lying under the modern ploughsoil. To the S and W of the cemetery the most obvious feature was a large curvilinear anomaly that appears to represent the remains of the monastic vallum. This ditch curves southwards from the Glebe fields and heads SE before curving and extending into unsurveyed fields to the east. The projected line of the ditch would represent an enclosure c200m or more in diameter. Further additional ditches, both within the possible vallum and to the S, were also identified. The ditch appears to be more complex or multivallate on the W in the area just outside the Glebe field. An extensive area of rig and furrow appears to respect the vallum on the west.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen Development Trust in association with the Tarbat Discovery Centre

Gordon Noble and Oskar Sveinbjarnarson – University of Aberdeen

(Source: DES, Volume 16)

NJ 22340 69600 As part of the Northern Picts project surveys and excavations have been undertaken in an area stretching from Aberdeenshire to Shetland targeting sites that can help contextualize the character of society in the early medieval period in northern Pictland.

Kinneddar has one of the richest collections of Pictish and early Chrisitian sculpture in northern Pictland, but only limited research has been conducted here. Kinneddar was one of the residences of the Bishops’ of Moray from the 11th century onwards and, at its height of importance, the bishop’s residence was a castle located to the N of the modern cemetery. A geophysical survey conducted, 9–13 November 2015, covered a large area of the Glebe to the W of the modern cemetery and areas to the S and N. Magnetometry was used and the survey identified traces of a monastic vallum on the S and W sides. An elaborate series of ditches are evident on the W with one or two curving ditches extending to the S. The ditches enclose an area at least 180m E/W and probably more than 250m N/S

but the boundary on the N side is obscured by the modern town of Lossiemouth and the Bishop’s Palace. On the E the ditches extend into areas that were not surveyed. Anomalies representing rig and furrow were evident outside the vallum to the W and additional ditches or field boundary enclosures were identified both in the interior and exterior areas. The

modern cemetery lies at the heart of this complex. Remains of the Bishop’s Palace were also identified on the N side of the cemetery and include multiple wall lines and extensively disturbed ground indicating a large complex of buildings and demolition layers.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen

Gordon Noble and Oskar Sveinbjarnarson – University of Aberdeen

(Source: DES, Volume 17)

NJ 22340 69600 Kinneddar has one of the richest collections of Pictish and Early Chrisitian sculpture in northern Pictland, but only limited research has been conducted here. Kinneddar was one of the residences of the Bishops of Moray from the 11th century onwards and at its height of importance the bishop’s residence was a castle located to the N of the modern cemetery. Geophysical survey conducted in November 2015–6 covered a large area of the Glebe to the W of the modern cemetery and areas to the S and N and identified traces of a vallum ditch on the S and W sides.

During October 2017 a four day evaluation was carried out to test the features identified by geophysical survey as part of an archaeology course at the University of Aberdeen and the Leverhulme funded Comparative Kingship project. Six trenches were laid out. Trench 1 was located close to the southern graveyard wall of the modern cemetery. A series of clay floor layers with paving slabs was identified along with a series of large pits/postholes in the southern part of the trench. The pits/postholes curved around marking the edge of a possible circular structure. Trenches 2, 5 and 6 located nearby identified a small number of cut features. Trench 3 was laid over the vallum and identified a c3m wide vallum ditch that was around 1m deep. A possible smithing furnace was caught in section and a large piece of furnace base was identified. Pieces of slag were found throughout the ditch fill. A secondary ditch was found on the exterior side of the vallum ditch. Extensive modern disturbance truncated parts of the vallum in this area of the site. The upper part of the ditch contained frequent animal bone and a small number of glazed and unglazed pottery sherds. Trench 4 was located over an enclosing feature that extends southwards from the main vallum ditch. A series of shallow ditches or foundation trenches for some form of timber enclosing feature were found in Trench 4. These were cut by a later palisade or fence line. A small deposit of shell and bone was also found in one end of the trench.

Radiocarbon dating will clarify the chronology of the vallum and other enclosing ditches and will also establish the date of features in Trench 1.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen and Leverhulme Trust

Gordon Noble, James O’Driscoll and Edouard Masson-Maclean – University of Aberdeen

(Source: DES, Volume 18)