Document record MAB58722 - THE GLEBE, OLD DEER

A gradiometry survey was carried out over this area in 2010 by GUARD as part of the Book of Deer Project.

A gradiometry survey was carried out over this area in 2010 by GUARD as part of the Book of Deer Project. The area, currently a recreation ground, was surveyed, but no archaeological features were encountered during the survey. Three trenches were excavated in this area in October 2011 by MAS as part of the Book of Deer Project, to cut sections across the visible bank between the recreation area and the village. A path or roadway is known to have been built through this area, as depicted on the 1st edition OS map, was continued in use until circa 1970. The excavation revealed that there appeared to have been varied attempts to surface or patch the road over the years. The excavated evidence suggests that it was circa 4 m wide, with a narrow drainage ditch along the north edge between the road and the inner revetting of the bank. The bank was generally sterile of finds but a small number of finds of 18th-20th century date, which appeared to be securely stratified within it, suggest a late date. There was also a total of six sherds of abraded 13th-14th century pottery, the condition of which suggests they could have been within soil that was gathered to make the bank after being abraded within plough or garden soil. A further ten sherds of generally abraded 13th-15th century pottery were found in the plough soil to the north of the bank. The bank is however curious as a 19th century boundary between a very minor roadway along the back of properties and an agricultural field, particularly as it was revetted on the inner (road) side, rather than on the side towards the field where revetting would have protected it from livestock. The construction, of redeposited natural boulder clay with no mix of topsoil through it also appears unusual in a 19th century context when a mixture of stones from field clearings and topsoil would be more common, with a livestock dyke on it, or revetting on both sides or on the side nearer the livestock. There is a slight chance that this bank may be, or may be a remnant of, an earlier bank. The shallow cut filled by layer 22 in Trench 3 could conceivably be the remnant of a ditch.

GUARD, 2010, OLD DEER GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY (Bibliographic reference). SAB2612.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2011, BOOK OF DEER PROJECT EXCAVATIONS 2011, OLD DEER, ABERDEENSHIRE, pp.4-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4723.

Record last edited

Dec 22 2022 11:15AM