13th century wall among surprising finds in dig
THE community excavation at Bishop's Close in Brechin has, once again, come up with some surprising finds.
The site beside the Cathedral Hall was partially excavated in 2009 and the results were so promising that a second season of excavation has just taken place from June 18-30, funded by Angus Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund under the City of Brechin Townscape Heritage Initiative and made possible by Brechin Cathedral.
Directed by Charlie and Hilary Murray of Murray Archaeological Services Limited, the work on the dig has been done by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, some who had worked on the site in 2009 and become hooked on archaeology and others who tried their hands at digging for the first time this year.
Hilary Murray said: "Two weeks of hard work have revealed that, in the 13th century, a well-built stone wall ran along the north side of this part of Bishop's Close - almost certainly a wall enclosing the precinct around the residence of the medieval bishops of Brechin.
"Within the wall there was a roughly paved yard around a huge pit almost 1.5m deep.
"At first this seems to have been used as a well - with traces of a timber lining - but later it had been used as a cess pit.
"The most fantastic find from the pit was an almost complete jug imported from the Netherlands. Somebody must have been really upset when they dropped it into the muck!
"Later, at the end of the 13th century, there appears to have been a fire with thick deposits of ash and burning filling in the pit and covering the yard.
"For over a hundred years the area seems to have been used as a midden with a thick deposit of soil hiding the wall, the yard and the well until this year's dig uncovered them again."
She added: "This excavation has shown what a rich heritage survives from medieval Brechin - literally beneath your feet."
During the dig, Hilary and Charlie were visited by fellow archaeologists, who agreed that their findings put Brechin on a par with destinations like Aberdeen, Elgin and Perth in terms of its archaeological importance.
For further information on Brechin Townscape Initiative visit www.angus.gov.uk/brechinthi
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
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