Historical Monuments Of Scotland Research Articles

Dormount Hope

Until recently, deer hunting in medieval Scotland has been poorly researched archaeologically. In Hunting and Hunting Reserves in Medieval Scotland Gilbert identified medieval parks at Stirling and Kincardine in Perthshire that William the Lion created, but it is only in recent years that excavations by Hall and Malloy have begun to explore their archaeology. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland recorded another type of hunting feature, a deer trap at Hermitage Castle, in 1996 and then re-recorded the earthwork at Dormount Hope in 2000, originally reported as two separate monuments. Although the earthworks of parks and traps display similarities in the construction of their earthwork boundaries, the individual sites have variations in their topography that beg questions about their function. This paper establishes that the earthwork is indeed a single monument which has an open end allowing deer to be driven into the natural canyon of Dormount Hope. It goes on to discuss its dating in both archaeological and documentary terms and then its function as either a park, trap or hay (haga OE). This last possibility is raised by its apparent mention in a Melrose Abbey charter of the neighbouring estate of Raeshaw dating to the last quarter of the 12th century, made by the lords of Hownam, a family of Anglian origin. This Anglian connection leads to its interpretation as a hay – a kind of deer hunting enclosure or trap known in many parts of England prior to the Norman Conquest, for which ‘hay’ place names, such as Hawick, in the Scottish Borders provide support.

A Snapshot in Time: a review of current approaches to archaeological archiving in Scotland

Hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) is the primary place of deposit for archaeological archives in Scotland. Built up over several decades, the archives hold over 1.6m items, both analogue and digital, linked to a site inventory of over 320,000 site records relating to the archaeological and architectural history of Scotland. Initially the survey archive of the former Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, the collections now include project archives from professional archaeological companies, academic researchers and, increasingly, community projects. A range of policy and professional drivers, as well as best practice, encourage archival deposition. The digital component of the archive has grown considerably over the last decade. In response, the NRHE has invested in preservation software to manage these holdings and has submitted an application for CoreTrustSeal. The NRHE is available online through the Canmore database and web-map applications. The online presence is assessed against the FAIR Data principles.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Angus Graham and Gordon Childe (1935–46)

This paper explores the story of Scotland’s national survey body, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, between 1935 and 1946, with reference to Angus Graham, their Secretary, and Vere Gordon Childe, perhaps the best-known archaeologist of the 20th century. Much of the narrative describes the Commission’s survey of Orkney and Shetland, an eight year project which brought close contact with Childe, and special attention is given to debate over the Neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Rinyo. The outbreak of war in 1939 delayed their report for some seven years, but the government supported a major programme of rescue recording to mitigate damage caused by enemy bombing and the training of allied troops. In 1938 Childe was passed over for membership of the Commission, who felt that they had sufficient archaeological expertise. His extreme anger at this snub was to be reflected in a negative review of their forthcoming report, but was allayed by neat footwork on the part of the chairman. In 1942, when the Commissioners did indeed put Childe forward as a member it was the Secretary of State for Scotland that stood in their way. Dedicated efforts by the Commission finally persuaded him that Childe was not in fact a Communist threat, and he and Graham went on to record some 636 ancient monuments, while Graham alone took 2,200 images of historic buildings. The archive material (and Graham’s diaries in particular) shine a light on what was a pioneering project in testing times. The circumstances of the war, and the short duration of Childe’s membership, meant that his influence was in fact felt through fieldwork and not, as one may have expected, in the development of the Commission’s over-arching syntheses.

Enabling Capabilities: Innovation and Development in the Outer Hebrides

The existing challenges to non-profit heritage organisations are increasing in these volatile and austere climates. Particularly, existing organisational and strategic mission developments are needed to enable more resilient organisations. This paper explores the relationship between Ionad Hiort and the Glasgow School of Art’s Institute of Design Innovation (INDI) as a six-month case study for understanding how design innovation can build creative capabilities within this unique partnership. In this case, the “building” of a new type of heritage centre on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It focuses on the concept of innovation in approaching complex situations as an alternative to existing means of problem solving. Through a series of workshops and engaging informal sessions a new strategy was built, which focused the group’s potential. The outcome being a new way to build confidence within communities and build new relationships, enabling new creative capabilities within a rural island community.

Mapping the Historic Landscape: Historic Land-Use Assessment in Scotland

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses the recent completion of Scotland’s Historic Land-use Assessment (HLA) project, a long-term partnership between Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) (now merged as Historic Environment Scotland) to map time-depth within the present-day landscape was completed in 2015. This paper places HLA within the wider context of historic landscape characterisation (HLC) in Europe and outlines some of the new insights and perspectives that this resource provides for Scotland’s landscapes. In particular, the historical complexity and time-depth inherent within the Scottish landscape is emphasised, along with the importance of HLA’s landscape-scale data and nationwide coverage. The paper finishes with a discussion of some of the possibilities and challenges for the future of HLA and HLC projects in general, concluding that HLA/HLC data have a significant part to play in understanding and communicating the role of the past in the formation of current landscapes and, in partnership with multidisciplinary data, helping to shape future landscapes.

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2014

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2014

Archaeology in the margins - RCAHMS emergency survey in the 1950s

In the years following the Second World War, the British government made a number of changes aimed at improving our self-sufficiency, whether in foodstuffs, timber or energy. The combination of schemes of subsidy and improvements in technology brought with it an increasing threat to monuments that had survived by virtue of the fact that they were sited in marginal land. In response, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) halted its national programme of County Inventories to undertake a rescue project that used newly available aerial photographs to identify threatened unrecorded prehistoric monuments, such as brochs, forts, palisaded settlements and earthworks. After eight years, the two archaeologists, with some help from other professionals and volunteers, had recorded more that 700 sites and prepared 190 measured surveys. While rescue was initially achieved through record, excavation and communication with the Ordnance Survey (OS), a small number are now protected by Scheduling. The results of the project went further, helping to underpin Stuart Piggott's development of a regional Iron Age synthesis in the 1960s. Now online for the first time, the information that was produced is the most detailed that exists for more than 90% of the sites, and, as with any documentary source, it is incumbent upon us to understand its strengths and weaknesses when we use it to understand, manage or protect the sites we care for and value.

An engraving entitled: “Melbourne Place and Victoria Terrace from George IV Bridge"

I thought that the members of the Society might be interested in learning about an “engraving” that hangs rather inauspiciously on one of the walls of the Society’s Library in Bristo Place (figure 1). This item is of interest in several regards, but principally because no copy of it is available in the Reference Collection of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh.

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2013

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2013

Insights from archaeological analysis and interpretation of marine data sets to inform marine cultural heritage management and planning of wave and tidal energy development for Orkney Waters and the Pentland Firth, NE Scotland

The Orkney archipelago has a rich heritage that includes the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, Viking settlements, harbours supplying Hudson's Bay Company ships, and the wartime naval base of Scapa Flow. This rich history has left its mark on the seabed but accurate maps showing the location and character of surviving seabed archaeology do not exist to the same extent as for archaeology on land. ORCA Marine was commissioned by Historic Scotland to work with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in interrogating marine data sets to enhance historic environment records of Orkney Waters and the Pentland Firth. These waters were prioritised for their history of maritime activity and to help guide planning and developments in an area highlighted by the Scottish Government for marine renewable energy.A variety of recent and legacy datasets, including wreck databases; sonar data gathered by public sector bodies; aerial photography; seabed cores; Admiralty charts; and local knowledge, were examined for their effectiveness in discovering and interpreting marine cultural heritage cost-effectively. A methodology was developed that enabled marine cultural heritage information to be quickly assimilated within the national and regional inventories for dissemination online. Polygonisation of records resulted in GIS-based shapefiles identifying site extents, and areas of archaeological potential in relation to wrecks, submerged prehistoric landscapes, anchorages and fishing areas.Substantial gaps in data coverage were identified and areas of the seabed have been surveyed at resolutions that are sufficient to detect large upstanding remains such as iron shipwrecks but insufficient to identify smaller archaeological features. Other geophysical datasets have been created at a resolution detailed enough to allow the recognition of smaller anomalies but in some cases processing of the data has removed small anomalies of interest to archaeologists. Intensively used marine areas often contain the most artefactual remains such as historic ports being developed to service the marine renewable industry. Zones of high wave and tidal energy favoured for renewable energy devices include navigation channels and hazards where a large number of wrecks are documented. Transmission cable routes cross deep water where 20th-century wartime losses occurred. Planning and development of infrastructure relating to renewables may also interact with significant built heritage and archaeology on the foreshore and coast edge.

Canals, Cake, and 6H Pencils: Starting Out in Community Archaeology

Variety appears to be one of the only constants within Community Archaeology. Activities range from test-pitting to cake-making, and involve participants of all ages and walks of life. It may be this endless variety that makes our theoretical models often seem inadequate to the task of aiding our understanding of what Community Archaeology is — and how we should be doing it. In this paper I will reflect on my varied experiences starting out in Community Archaeology, particularly during my CBA-Funded Community Archaeology Training placement at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in 2012/13. Drawing on this experience, I will share some of the challenges I have experienced and the many questions these have thrown up about the practice of Community Archaeology in the future. Although offering few answers to these questions, I hope to consider the opportunities which may arise in future in addressing some of these complex challenges.

From Paper to Digital, and Point to Polygon — The Application of GIS in a National Body of Survey and Record

This paper describes the development and current use of GIS in the work of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). As the national body of survey and record for Scotland, many areas of RCAHMS work make extensive use of GIS, from coordinating field recording and desk-based mapping, to management of extensive datasets. The impact of digital technologies on both recording and presenting the field archaeology of Scotland are explored. Examples of current practice are presented, concluding with a discussion of challenges, including INSPIRE, and the need to develop spatial data standards for cultural heritage, in the present and for the future.

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2012

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2012

SHARED WEB INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR HERITAGE IN SCOTLAND AND WALES – FLEXIBILITY IN PARTNERSHIP

Abstract. The Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales were established in 1908 to investigate and record the archaeological and built heritage of their respective countries. The organisations have grown organically over the succeeding century, steadily developing their inventories and collections as card and paper indexes. Computerisation followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with RCAHMS releasing Canmore, an online searchable database, in 1998. Following a review of service provision in Wales, RCAHMW entered into partnership with RCAHMS in 2003 to deliver a database for their national inventories and collections. The resultant partnership enables both organisations to develop at their own pace whilst delivering efficiencies through a common experience and a shared IT infrastructure. Through innovative solutions the partnership has also delivered benefits to the wider historic environment community, providing online portals to a range of datasets, ultimately raising public awareness and appreciation of the heritage around them. Now celebrating its 10th year, Shared Web Information Systems for Heritage, or more simply SWISH, continues to underpin the work of both organisations in presenting information about the historic environment to the public.

Curating the Scottish Built Heritage Record: Canmore as an Open Digital Archive

In recent times heritage institutions have been re-assessing their relationship with members of the public both in terms of their use of digital collections and their potential contribution to increasingly rich digital resource environments (Terras, 2011). This paper reports on a study which applied virtual ethnographic methods to the investigation of Canmore, the digital archive of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), opened to public contribution in 2009. The study examined the nature of the online environment, users' contributions and participation dynamics, which were found to mirror traditional patterns, with mostly expert users contributing high-quality data to the record. Less evidence emerged of collaborative engagement and dialogical exchanges more typical of online sociality. The paper considers the merits of, and possible reasons for, such an outcome, also touching on more recent initiatives which show RCAHMS embracing new opportunities for innovative co-curation practices.

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2011

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2011

Adam Welfare, edited by Stratford Halliday. Great crowns of stone: the recumbent stone circles of Scotland. xiv+317 pages, numerous colour & b&w illustrations. 2011. Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: 978-1-902419-55-8 hardback £ 30.

Adam Welfare, edited by Stratford Halliday. Great crowns of stone: the recumbent stone circles of Scotland. xiv+317 pages, numerous colour & b&w illustrations. 2011. Edinburgh: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: 978-1-902419-55-8 hardback £ 30.

Inverlochy and Lochindorb Castles – A Comparative Study

Between 2009 and 2011, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) worked on a new study of Lochindorb Castle.1 This work has produced the first in-depth survey and contributed towards a new understanding of the ruinous site, located upon a small island on Lochindorb and previously little studied due to its remote and inaccessible location. At Inverlochy, RCAHMS carried out a detailed drawn survey of the castle in 1982 and this is complemented by a large number of archive items resulting from various studies and excavations at the site.2 In the light of new measured and photographic data being available for comparative work, this study aims to look afresh at the relationship between the two castles, to take a closer look at their form and function, and beyond this, establish how legitimate long-standing comparisons of the two castles remain.3

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2010

Architectural Accessions to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland 2010

With a Little Help from OAIS: Starting down the Digital Curation Path

Embarking on a digital curation programme can be a daunting prospect as it is thought to be an expensive and complex endeavour, beyond the capability and resources of most archives. Added to this is the fact that the overabundance of resources now available is almost as much of a deterrent to those entering the field as the lack of resources was 10 years ago. This article, based on a paper given to the Society of Archivists' Conference in 2010, will discuss why the fear might be, to a certain extent, unjustified, and how organizations can take the first steps towards developing systems and procedures for managing digital objects in their care. Using work carried out at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland as an example, it will focus on issues relating to the development of ingest systems and procedures and will raise a number of questions relating to acquisition and appraisal of digital collections that would benefit from further discussion within the archival community.