Bulletin
4, 1998
Introduction
The Tarbat Discovery Programme has been devised to explore, explain, display and reconstruct the Early Medieval site discovered at Tarbat Old Church, Portmahomack, in north-east Scotland, and to investigate its regional and international context. The evaluation and project design resulted in the programming of excavations in and around Tarbat Old Church, scheduled to run 1995-2002, and surveys on Tarbat Ness and in the wider area of the Moray Firth (see Fig 1)(Bull. 2, 27-29).
Figure
1: Location map showing areas of study of the Tarbat Discovery Programme
Fieldwork priority to date has been given to the excavations in and around Tarbat Old Church, also known as St Colman's Church, so as to provide the maximum support to Tarbat Historic Trust in the creation of the Visitor Centre (Fig 2). In 1998, the programme again concentrated on excavation in theGlebe Field adjacent to the church (Sector 2), where the Visitor Centre car park is to be made, andwhere deposits were anticipated to lie relatively deep and wet. This site is also expected to absorb most of our energies in 1999. An additional test pit (Int 26), situated between the Sector 2 excavations and the churchyard, was excavated archaeologically early in 1998, in advance of the emplacement of an oil tank for the heating system of the Tarbat Discovery Centre. This showed deposits averaging a metre in depth (Fig 4,5). Excavations in the main site of Sector 2 (Int 14, 24) turned up remains of industrial activities belonging to a medieval settlement, dated by the pottery to 12-15th century. Deeper features also confirmed a depth of deposit, still to come, of about 1 metre, with waterlogging at the southern end. Some of this deposit glimpsed in section is clearly stratified and includes at least one major burning incident manifested as an extensive layer of charcoal. Early medieval material from this and later layers includes fragments of sculpture (Figs 6,7), an eighth century coin from the Rhinemouth (a sceat, Fig 8), a fragment of early glass (Fig 9), bone and bronze pins and bone combs ( Figs 10, 11).
At the same time work continued on the mapping of the southern half of the projected excavation sample in the Gordon Field (Sector 1, Int 25), which was largely achieved by students attending the Field School. Here recent field drains had cut through a series of pits and curvilinear gullies, undated as yet but prehistoric in character (Fig 3). Preliminary studies of artifacts also took place in 1998: of pottery by Derek Hall, of the sceat by Mark Blackburn, of the geology of the carved stones by Nigel Ruckley and of other medieval artifacts by Cecily Spall; summaries of this work in progress are given in this Bulletin. Assessment of the human remains by Don Brothwell (York) and Julie Roberts (GUARD) is now complete and analysis is expected to begin in October 1999. Assessment of the potential for the analysis of animal bones, plant remains, chemical mapping and soil micromorphology will follow the exposure of appropriate layers and assemblages, hoped for in 1999.
The creation by Tarbat Historic Trust of the Tarbat Discovery Centre which began in earnest in 1997, following the completion of archaeological investigations inside the church, continued in 1998. The sculpture discovered from 1991 up to mid-summer 1998 was declared to the Treasure Trove panel, and in May 1999 was allocated to the National Museums of Scotland.
Under a loan agreement these pieces are to be borrowed by the Trust from the National Museums for display in the Tarbat Discovery Centre at Portmahomack. Sculpture from the site discovered before 1991 has been retained by the National Museums and forms a special exhibit in their new display. The Trust is making replicas of these pieces so that the visitor to Portmahomack will be able to appreciate something of the whole output of the Tarbat sculptors. The Centre is expected to open during 1999 or 2000.
Martin Carver
University of York
1 July 99
In memoriam
We were greatly saddened by the death of Monica Clough, the noted scholar and historian of Scotland who did so much for the Tarbat Discovery Programme, enlivening and enhancing the display and educating our team. She is much missed.
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