by EWAN LAMB
The most expansive archaeological project ever to be undertaken in the Scottish Borders will encompass investigations into long abandoned tower houses, deserted medieval villages and enigmatic carved stones dating from prehistoric times to the Anglo-Saxon era.
Uncovering The Tweed (UtT) is a three-year programme to be jointly funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, and the Fallago Environment Fund. The investigations will be overseen by AOC Archaeology and Tweed Forum at an estimated cost of over £300,000.
With more than 15,000 registered entries in Scottish Borders Council's Historic Environment Record, the Tweed Basin is one of the richest regions for archaeology and built heritage in the whole country. But the archaeological potential remains largely untapped.
The forthcoming project is part of Destination Tweed, a multi-million pounds initiative aimed at raising the river's profile internationally and delivering new facilities to attract visitors such as a Tweed Trail from the source near Moffat to the sea at Berwick.
According to the published Project Design document: "The UtT project will maximise the value of LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) technology for the investigation of the historic landscape.
"It is intended that UtT will deliver a legacy for future generations by protecting and conserving the landscape, supporting connections between heritage groups and community organisations along the route and building a core of empowered volunteers, confident in identifying, investigating, and conserving the heritage of the project area into the future. We will ensure a tangible legacy for the project through the generation of new research that will feed directly into the presentation of the Tweed’s cultural heritage."
Mapping the Tweed will form the core of the Uncovering the Tweed project. Using aerial LiDAR data available for the project area, the archaeological mapping programme will aim to create new content that can be used to present and promote the archaeology of the Tweed Trail.
Geophysical surveys will be conducted at key sites throughout the Tweed basin, again focusing on those locations closest to the proposed trail and those adjacent to areas typically accessed by walkers, cyclists and other visitors to the area.
UtT which will offer members of the public the chance to get involved in the programme, will also feature a series of so-called sub-projects including:
Crossing the Tweed: It will seek to explore and record crossing places of the Tweed river and associated tributaries. "Crossing points offer the opportunity to map communication routes through the landscape, and the ways these have changed through time in response to political, economic and environmental changes. Several of these may be extant bridges with older antecedents while other crossings may be traced through physical remains along the river, through historic mapping, or through LiDAR."
Towers of the Tweed: This will involve studying tower house sites along the Tweed corridor. "Tower houses are an emblematic site type for the region defined as a fortified multi-floored dwelling constructed between 14th-17th centuries. These usually comprise several floors and often include a vaulted basement.
"In the context of the turbulent and contested history of the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, tower houses played a key defensive role with thick stone walls, narrow winds and often a surrounding barmkin (defensive courtyard). Tower houses were likely not just defensive but had a significant role in social display of status and power."
Carved in Stone "Carved stones of Scotland and the North East of England have been considered a priority for research and a valuable archaeological resource in research frameworks for the areas. Examples can be found from almost every period, from prehistoric rock art to Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture and hogback stones to mile markers. These form tangible elements of the archaeological resource along the Tweed valley."
Deserted Medieval Villages "The Tweed basin contains some of the best evidence for medieval settlement in southern Scotland. Beyond the well-known abbey towns of Melrose and Kelso, there are numerous deserted villages and smaller settlements, the remnants of communities which never grew into larger towns. Several are associated with chapels or small kirks, but few have been the subject of coordinated archaeological investigation."
Prehistoric Lives "This sub-project encompasses a broad period of time and a wide range of site types and evidence. From the Upper Paleolithic to the late Iron Age, there is evidence of prehistoric people living along the Tweed valley. Some of the earliest prehistoric evidence for the area includes lithic scatter sites.
"These include Scotland’s only Hamburgian settlement at Howden [near Biggar] representing nationally significant and rare evidence of Late Glacial (12,700-9,800 BC) activity. Lithic scatter sites also represent the later Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age periods and are known along the length of the Tweed valley. Some of these may represent settlements while others may be indicative of short-term occupation or craft working."
Industrial Tweed "This sub-project explores the rich industrial history of the Tweed valley, from early modern times to the 20th century, highlighting key industries and their impact on the region. Medieval watermills, used for grinding grain and other purposes, mark the earliest industrial activity in the Tweed valley. Remnants of these mills, such as foundations and mill races, provide insights into historical technology and economy."
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