Re-writing ancient history of the Upper Tweed Valley

Submitted by PaulM on Friday, 26 March 2004 Page Views: 2886

THE archaeological survey of the Upper Tweed Valley has finally been completed by the Biggar Museum Trust. The archaeologists have been checking out every nook and cranny of the landscape in the search for previously unrecorded sites and monuments. The work has taken over three years, interupted in 2001 by the foot and mouth epidemic.

Tam Ward of the museum said: “This has been the largest survey we have undertaken and we have found hundreds of sites of which nothing was known.

“The final outcome of this project will be to re-write the ancient history of the Upper Tweed, and what a story that will be.

“A great deal of the past has been lost to us, but using our detective skills, it is possible to salvage much of the story by putting these sites back on the map.”

The voluntary group has discovered new types of sites such as the strange ‘burnt mounds’ dating to the Bronze Age over 4000 years ago and where people were heating water with hot stones.

The earliest dated lead smelting sites in Scotland, perhaps even in Britain have been found in the hills, they are over 1000 years old.

Several Bronze Age house and grave sites, have been found, but just as importantly, a whole new story of shepherds, and sheperdesses, of 300 years ago has been discovered.

Shielings and sheep milking buchts, remote in the glens, tell of the summer pasturing of animals to keep them away from unenclosed crops.

Only two weeks ago, further graves of the Early Christian period were found, these little stone coffins date to the 6th - 8th centuries AD when Anglians ruled the area.

Mr Ward added: “This is the first phase of the overall project. We have already started a search of documents to find out more, and finally, we hope to excavate on certain sites to prove what they are all about.”

Archaeology belongs to everyone, and to inform the local community of the rich legacy of the past which surrounds them, a talk on the recent work will be held in Broughton Hall on Wednesday, March 31, at 7.30 p.m.

“The Lost Past of Tweeddale Re-Discovered” will be given by Tam Ward in this free lecture, organised by the Community Council.

Source: Peeblesshire News 25/03/2004

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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