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The Hirsel

Burial Ground (Medieval), Church (Medieval), Unidentified Pottery (Medieval)

Site Name The Hirsel

Classification Burial Ground (Medieval), Church (Medieval), Unidentified Pottery (Medieval)

Alternative Name(s) Dial Knowe; Low Field; The Hirsel Policies

Canmore ID 59631

Site Number NT84SW 3

NGR NT 830 406

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

C14 Radiocarbon Dating

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/59631

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Scottish Borders, The
  • Parish Coldstream
  • Former Region Borders
  • Former District Berwickshire
  • Former County Berwickshire

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 1, Berwickshire, grave-marker

Measurements: H 0.42m, W 0.34m, D 0.08 > 0.06m

Stone type: grey-green micaceous sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: damaged.

Description

Roughly dressed, this slab bears a deeply cut linear cross on broad face A, and a relief boss carved with a linear cross on face D.

Date: seventh to ninth century.

Desk-based information cmpiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 3, Berwickshire, recumbent grave-marker

Measurements: L 1.83m, W 0.36m > 0.30m, D 0.14m

Stone type: fine pinkish-grey sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: broken in two.

Description

The upper surface of this slab is smoothly dressed with chamfered edges, and there are traces of lightly incised large circles.

Date: eleventh century?

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 4, Berwickshire, cross-shaft

Measurements: H 1.20m, W 0.30m > 0.23m, D 0.16m > 0.14m

Stone type: fine pinkish-grey sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: broken and damaged.

Description

Smoothly dressed with chamfered edges, the surviving portion of this slab is plain, apart from an incised vertical line on one narrow face.

Date: eleventh century or later.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 7, Berwickshire, architectural shaft

Measurements: A H 0.36m, Diam 0.14m; B H 0.27m, Diam 0.14m

Stone type: grey sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: broken and damaged.

Description

These sections of an architectural shaft each have four flat faces divided by vertical roll mouldings and two rear faces forming a wedge,

Date: uncertain.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 8, Berwickshire, gutter or drain

Measurements: H 0.42m, W 0.20m > 0.15m, D 0.04m

Stone type: grey sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: broken and damaged.

Description

Dressed with chisels with a central broad groove.

Date: uncertain.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 2, Berwickshire, grave-marker

Measurements: H 0.79m, W 0.38m > 0.33m, D 0.10m

Stone type: fine grained grey sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: damaged.

Description

Roughly dressed, this slab bears on face A an incised linear cross with deeply punched dot terminals to the three upper arms.

Date: seventh to ninth century.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2017

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

The Hirsel 6, Berwickshire, architectural fragment?

Measurements: H 0.44m, W 0.40m, D 0.11m

Stone type: grey micaceous sandstone.

Place of discovery: NT 830 406

Present location: The Hirsel Information Centre.

Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing in 1977 on the site of a chapel and graveyard.

Present condition: possibly unfinished.

Description

Roughly dressed on both broad faces with traces of marking-out guide lines.

Date: uncertain.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Archaeology Notes

NT84SW 3 830 406.

The chapel of Hirsel, which belonged to Coldingham Priory, had disappeared before 1627, and was never rebuilt.

Fasti Eccles Scot, H Scott et al ed. 1917.

No further information.

Visited by OS(JFC) 19 Janauary 1955.

NT 830 406. A first season of excavation took place in the Dial Knowe or Low Field at the Hirsel in 1979 following the 1978 resistivity survey, which revealed a dense pattern of anomalies in that area of the site from which ploughing had in 1977 produced grave markers of Early Christian to Early Medieval types. The gravestones provided the possibility that there could have been an early cemetery on the site and that this could pre-date the church, recorded as existing at the Hirsel by 1165-6.

Excavation produced pottery and wattle structures, evidence of Neolithic occupation. The next identifiable phase consisted of timber and stone structures which seem to date to the 8th - 9th century AD.

To the S of this area the perimeter wall of a cemetery enclosure was located. The final phase of this feature seems to date to the 13th century.

Seven graves were identified, and although bone survival was poor, three adult skeletons survived. Three of the 'empty' graves had plain head and foot-stones.

The area opened in 1980 revealed part of the burial platform which extended 19m N-S between the enclosure and the N wall of the church. Twenty-six burials were excavated and the cuts for three more determined. The upper levels of burials had been disturbed by modern ploughing, but the cemetery appeared to be deeply stratified. A small early medieval domestic structure was found inside the cemetery enclosure. Finds included knives, a decorated bell and pottery.

The church was almost completely exposed. It measured in its final phase 10.8m externally and 8.2m internally, and its width is provisionally estimated at about 4m.

It had gone out of use by the late 14th century and its W end had been overlaid by a domestic structure which existed until the 16th century. W of the church, another stone structure lay under the late medieval cemetery.

R J Cramp 1979; 1980; J Ferguson 1892; I B Cowan 1967; R J Cramp and C Douglas-Home 1980; RCAHMS 1980, visited 1979.

Activities

Excavation (1978 - 1979)

NT 830 406. A first season of excavation took place in the Dial Knowe or Low Field at the Hirsel in 1979 following the 1978 resistivity survey, which revealed a dense pattern of anomalies in that area of the site from which ploughing had in 1977 produced grave markers of Early Christian to Early Medieval types. The gravestones provided the possibility that there could have been an early cemetery on the site and that this could pre-date the church, recorded as existing at the Hirsel by 1165-6.

Excavation produced pottery and wattle structures, evidence of Neolithic occupation. The next identifiable phase consisted of timber and stone structures which seem to date to the 8th - 9th century AD.

To the S of this area the perimeter wall of a cemetery enclosure was located. The final phase of this feature seems to date to the 13th century.

Seven graves were identified, and although bone survival was poor, three adult skeletons survived. Three of the 'empty' graves had plain head and foot-stones.

The area opened in 1980 revealed part of the burial platform which extended 19m N-S between the enclosure and the N wall of the church. Twenty-six burials were excavated and the cuts for three more determined. The upper levels of burials had been disturbed by modern ploughing, but the cemetery appeared to be deeply stratified. A small early medieval domestic structure was found inside the cemetery enclosure. Finds included knives, a decorated bell and pottery.

The church was almost completely exposed. It measured in its final phase 10.8m externally and 8.2m internally, and its width is provisionally estimated at about 4m.

It had gone out of use by the late 14th century and its W end had been overlaid by a domestic structure which existed until the 16th century. W of the church, another stone structure lay under the late medieval cemetery.

R J Cramp 1979; 1980; R J Cramp and C Douglas-Home 1980

Sbc Note

Visibility: This site has been excavated.

Information from Scottish Borders Council

Project

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

References

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