Ellisland Farm, Excavations
No Class (Event)
Site Name Ellisland Farm, Excavations
Classification No Class (Event)
Canmore ID 78502
Site Number NX98SW 82
NGR NX 9300 8380
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/78502
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Dunscore
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Nithsdale
- Former County Dumfries-shire
NX98SW 82 9300 8380
For present steading (NX 9296 8387), see NX98SW 69.
(Location cited as NX 929 838). A small-scale trial excavation was carried out in an attempt to locate the site of an earlier farmstead at Ellisland Farm. The farm tenancy was held by the poet Robert Burns in the period 1788-91, and the present farmhouse was his home during the prolific period which saw the composition of various works including Tam O'Shanter. The farm is currently owned by the Ellisland Farm Trust.
It has been suggested to the Trust by representatives of Historic Scotland that an enclosure wall may have at one time formed the wall of an earlier farmhouse. excavation revealed that this was not the case, and that the wall had originally been built in order to enclose an orchard and kitchen garden. The trenching of a bank within the enclosed area revealed a natural build-up of soil beneath what was interpreted as a former fence-line. The later discovery of a photograph of the site taken in the 1930's clearly showed a fence running across the area now occupied by the bank.
The results of the work were therefore negative and no evidence for an earlier farmhouse was identified.
Sponsor: Ellisland Farm trust.
J Atkinson, I Banks and T Pollard 1993.
