In our latest ShoreDIG project, the SCHARP team have joined forces with locally-based archaeologists to investigate archaeological remains revealed by storm damage over the winter of 2012/2013. Stone walls and thick layers of ash, shell and other rubbish deposits have been exposed as a result of erosion of the coast edge below the coastal path in front of Reeds Fields.
Babs and Pat carefully excavating layers of ash, shellfish and fish bone next to what could be a medieval wall
Although it was known that the centre of medieval of Cromarty lay on the east side of the current village, convincing evidence of a medieval centre in this area has never been located. This might be about to change.
Ellie and Darren discuss pottery – during a rainy Sunday morning finds washing in the site marquee
Medieval pottery found within the layers in the eroding coast edge give every indication that the walls in the section belong to buildings that once stood in the heart of medieval Cromarty; now exposed by storms after hundreds of years of obscurity.
The archaeology exposed in the coast edge is particularly fragile because it rests upon very soft beach sand which is undermined at every high tide; and the deposits themselves are made of ash and loose shelly layers. So the purpose of this ShoreDIG is to find out as much as we can about what has been revealed and what it can tell us about medieval Cromarty before it is too late.
All deposits in the coastal section are carefully excavated and sieved so that even tiny fish bones are recovered
We will do this by carefully excavating sections through the archaeological deposits in the coast edge and recording every layer in as much detail as possible. Every layer will be sieved so that even the tiniest fish bones are recovered. Samples will be taken from each deposit so that we can look for plant and pollen remains that may tell us about what crops were being grown and what the immediate environment was like.
A view from the spoil heap of the open area behind the coastal section
In the fields behind the eroding coast edge, we have stripped off the topsoil from a large area to be able to get a plan view of the structures and deposits exposed in the sections. This gives us the best of both worlds. The section provides a timeslice through the deposits so that we know how deep they are and what to expect. The open area gives us a great opportunity to reveal the layout of the buildings and see and investigate much more than could be achieved in the section alone.
Medieval walls emerging from the soil in this action packed scene on Tuesday
As you can see from the photos, the scale of this community excavation is quite ambitious! Thank goodness, because the people of Cromarty and volunteers from the surrounding area have been out in force – and there is plenty of room for everyone and plenty to get your teeth into, whether you are 7 or 70.
Our young volunteers are excellent trowellers and don’t miss even the tiniest artefact
The excavations will continue until Saturday 10th August, and the site is open every day.
If you live nearby or are in the area, do visit the site. You’ll be made very welcome and shown around. If you’d like to volunteer, email the Dig Team at info@medievalcromarty.org
or telephone on 01381 600726. More information can be found on the project website http://www.medievalcromarty.org/index.asp
The boys really enjoy working with the finds and are brilliant pot washers
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