Document record MAB61798 - FITHIE

Site of at least one souterrain.

Site of at least one souterrain. Jervise records that a souterrain was discovered in mid-April 1868, in the Quarry Park field, immediately west of Fithie farmhouse. Built of rough sandstone, it formed a curvilinear chamber measuring about 3.7m long, and from 1.22-1.83m high with the red sandstone floor sloping downwards to the southwest. It was about 1.07m wide at the north or entrance end, and irregularly widened to about 1.83m at the semi-circular inner end. The walls were of local stone cemented with clay and Jervise describes the floor as 'bedded to a depth of some inches with a layer of prepared clay, mixed with oak leaves, acorns, charcoal and other vegetable substances'. The structure was too mutilated to enable a plan to be made, but Jervise noted that three stone cover stones remained in situ, all were irregular, one was of freestone, the middle of gneiss and the last a conglomerate or limestone boulder. Scattered on the floor of the chamber were animal bones and the remains of a 2nd century AD Samian vase (decorated with large medallions and panels in the style of Cinnamus according to Curle). There was also a piece of curved iron, but this lay between two cover stones, which suggests that it may have fallen into the chamber at a later period. The finds were donated to the NMAS in 1868 by Mr Hall, farmer Fithie. Wainwright reports that Lord Southesk carried out a further excavation in the late 19th century, where he discovered a souterrain similar to the ancient monument at Tealing (NO43NW0001). Southesk wrote that the souterrain 'like others of its class formed a narrow strongly curved tunnel, gradually descending from the surface entrance to a point seventy or eighty feet distant, where the depth attained to about ten feet. The first portion of this passage was walled with large standing slabs (two of which now do duty as field gate posts near the farm steading), then for a short way came a casing of rubble work, but for the rest of the distance the natural shaley clay was left unlined'. Wainwright interpreted this account as the re-opening (with a much greater area exposed) of the souterrain described by Jervise. The souterrain opened by Lord Southesk had no roofing slabs, which Wainwright interpreted as their having been removed, and the 'unlined' portions Wainwright interpreted as having been robbed of the stonework (such as at Carlungie (NO53NW0014). The OS subsequently identified the site of a souterrain at NO 6324 5449, but nothing was to be seen in the corner of the arable field.

Mitchell, A, 1868, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 6, 19, No. 123 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7228.

PSAS, 1870, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 7, 479 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6069.

Jervise, A, 1871, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 8, 473-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB12159.

Curle, J, 1932, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 66, 387 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11826.

WAINWRIGHT, F. T., 1963, THE SOUTERRAINS OF SOUTHERN PICTLAND, 185-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2085.

Robertson, A S, 1970, Britannia 1, 208, 210, (table IV) (Bibliographic reference). SAB9713.

RCAHMS, 1978, [Untitled], 19, No. 123 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7824.

Barclay, G, 1981, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 110, passium (Bibliographic reference). SAB5680.

Record last edited

May 20 2021 11:42AM