Conflict Archaeology and Historical Research into 16th Century Warfare in Renaissance Scotland
Happy New Year!!!
Lets hope 2024 will be as exciting as last year's work at the Franciscan Precinct. Just a note to say that the dig report for the Test Pits is having its final edit and should be available for review in January.... and I can get back to writing up the siege history.
The image below is Test Pit 2 in the Manse Gardens showing the tantalizing foundations of a building we think dates back to the 15th Century....only issue being its a long way down !!!
Just to reassure folk that the report for the summer test pit digging is still in the process of being written !! I have just finished photographing all the finds and gathering together the on site images taken on the weekend ... and this one in particular maybe of interest as it shows the greenware found on site....
Hello All ... something to look out for next month.... this will be very useful for those wanting to know more about the soldiers and soldiering during the time of the siege.
Good Evening
I spent the afternoon having a look at the graffiti which sits above the 'Horsemen'. I filled in the scratches and this is what I could make out. What do you think this could be. A Game an image or maybe a map ? Please have a go yourself at by tracing in the scratches.
Latest images from the SHRG Test Pit Survey of the Holy Trinity Manse can be found at the HHS website news page.
Categories News News & Events SHRG Archaeology: Did we find Haddington’s Franciscan Friary? Post author By HHS Post date September 12, 2023 Categories In News, News & Events, SHRG The friary dig - Sept 2023 We have documentary evidence that there was once a friary somewhere in the vicinity of the ...
Great news ... all our work on the Siege Garden has paid dividends. Well done everyone !!
Beautiful Scotland Award 2023 Some of the Blooming Haddington committee and volunteers were delighted to attend the “Beautiful Scotland” Celebration and Awards evening on Friday 8th September 2023. We were awarded a Gold Medal for our category of Medium town a great recognition for all the hard ...
Hi All
Jenn Scott is speaking down in Birmingham on Haddington and Leith if you are in and around Birmingham on 16th September
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-shows-and-conferences/retinue-to-regiment-tudor-warfare-conference.php?fbclid=IwAR0RiuXLuhk6Cj01pv2DdsusP6QPFgSgmi2RJdTiYZmIxvfYijbzbY8_vl4
The book might be useful as well.
Retinue to Regiment Tudor Warfare Conference - just one of the military history conferences & shows available to book at Helion & Company.
Just a reminder that its East lothian Archaeology Fortnight at the beginning of September. SHRG will be putting on a number of walks and talks as well as 'The Not So Big Dig at the Holy Trinity Church on the weekend of the 8th 9th 10th September. Details on the ELC website at
Annual conferences organised by City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council and Scottish Borders Council.
Congratulations and thankyous for all the folk who turned out for the 2nd Wreath laying ceremony in Lady Kitty's Garden on the 28th June.. Students from St Mary's Primary School helped the Provost lay the wreath. Representatives from Blooming Haddington, Haddington's History Society, Friends of the John Grey Centre, Haddington Pipe Band and the Scottish Battlefields Trust were all their to pay tribute to the soldiers and civilians who were killed during the siege. Many thanks to Carol at Tulipa for designing the wonderful wreath and Blooming Haddington for spending many hours the previous day planting out the memorial garden. Also thanks to Tim Porteus for telling the stories !
Evidence of the Franciscans
Hello All ... just flicking through images of Franciscan chapels on the Monastic Ireland website when I spotted this image of a 'rose' built into the wall of the Askeaton Chapel. Looks familar ??? well compare this to the 'rose' we have at Haddington !!! Can anyone add more examples ?
Hello All
Just a reminder that the Pinkie Symposium will be held at St Clement's & St Ninian's Parish in Wallyford on Friday 19th May.
It follows the same format of the Siege Symposium we held in Haddington last year where we get together teams of local historians, academics and archaeologists who spend the day mulling over wargames, maps and manuscripts trying to tackle a series of challenges set by the organisers. Their findings are shared at the end of the day from around 2.00 onwards as we open the floor to discussion and debate. You are very welcome to come along and take a look at what is going on. Doors open at 10.00 but all the best action is at the end of the day from 2.00 til 4.00. I
Hope to see you there
Spotted on the outer wall at Tenterfield House, Dunbar Road - anybody know what this stonework is all about. Is it something to do with the NE port of the town
Rgds
Jon
Hello All
The new book on the Battle of Pinkie has been promoted on Oxbowbooks website. This is due out in June but there is a good deal on a pre-order.
Presents a detailed study of the Battle of Pinkie, 1547 – a battle that is of considerable significance in the history of both Scotland and England.
Looks like Treasure Trove is under Review ... lets hope that means more resources for the team.
The King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (KLTR), the Crown’s representative responsible for ownerless property, including portable antiquities, has announced the launch of a review into how archaeological finds are processed in Scotland. It comes in the context of sustained gro
Good Morning
As for the Treaty of Haddington. We have found a translation of the document we were sent from the Morgan Library and Museum !!!
Thanks to the wonderful work underway at St Andrews University, the translated text is available on their 'Records of the Parliaments of Scotland' database
Happy reading and may I also suggest some browsing as well... what else relating to 16tth Century Haddington is on this database ???
Here is the link:
I would like to say thank you to the congregation of The Holy Trinity Church in Haddington who were gracious hosts for a debrief on the summers surveys in the church precinct. On 26th March I was invited to the post service coffee morning and talk about the findings and artefacts recovered in the survey. Glad to say that the Rev Liz O'Ryan has invited us back to continue the search for the Franciscan Chapel in the summer. Lets see what we can do to make this happen.
Thanks goes out to John McMillan and the folk at St Mary's for hosting the Masters students from the University of Glasgow's Conflict Archaeology and Heritage course. We had a tour of the church inside and out before heading off on the 'Camisade' walk and then into town for lunch. We headed back to the church via the Rugby pitches to check out the French sigeworks.
We then headed to Pinkie for a quick view of the battlefield. Both sites are spoken about in detail on the course and it is good to back on the road and having the chance to walk the ground.
So since Christmas we have been in pursuit of a copy of the 'Treaty of Haddington'. This document signed on 7th July 1548 ensure that Mary Queen of Scots would be sent to France to marry the Dauphin. It was signed in the Abbey of Haddington about 1 1/2 miles from the town with the sound of artillery fire in the background. We have been searching the archives for a copy of the Treaty but to no avail.... until we spotted a document in the collection of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York who claimed to have a document dated 7th July, written in Haddington and signed by James Mackgill , a member of the Scottish court. Could this be the treaty. We ordered a copy up and the digital version came through this week and............... drum roll.............. don't know its in Latin !! But from what we can make out, its looking good.
We can't put it up on line due to copyright but happy to share if you are any good at translating late medieval latin script !!!
The library has a small selection of primary materials on mary Queen of Scots so if it maybe worth a look if you are researching the Queen.
A complex of buildings in the heart of New York City, The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States.
Latest hi tech interpretation of the 16th C Graffiti on the walls of St Mary's provides earliest evidence of St Nicholas in Scotland !!!... or maybe not.... Merry Christmas everyone
Hello All
Something we may like to expire to with our own, all be it less grandiose plans
https://unlocked.microsoft.com/ancient-olympia-common-grounds/?ocid=cmmhcyhomow&form=M402JX
Imagine if we could do this for St Mary's ... or possibly the whole of 16th Century Haddington.
Explore Ancient Olympia’s structures and cultural impact like never before
If you want to know more about the arms, equipment and tactics for the first half of the 16th C in Scotland then perhaps this would be a good Christmas stocking filler
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scottish-Renaissance-Armies-1513-1550-Elite/dp/184603325X
Can't recommend the author ... but Graham Turner's illustrations are brill! There is even an image of Albany entering Paris on the front cover...
This book details the armies of what is known as 'the Rough Wooing' - the most active period of Scottish warfare, which saw conflicts against both the English Tudor monarchs, and notable internal struggles between the Stuart kings and their unruly lords in the Highlands. Militarily, this covers a...
Hello All
Just a blast from the past. Here is a link to the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge 1526 website. The town museum has looked after the site since 2017 but its gives an idea as to what a basic virtual museum could look like. Linlithgow also has a battlefield memorial / garden and a walking trail.
Battle of Linlithgow Bridge. Heritage Site
Walking around St Mary's Church its easy to get distracted by the all the shot holes and damaged caused by artillery rounds. But there is also a fin collection of graffiti to be studied. Although there is a lot of more modern pieces alongside (or in some cases underneath) lies what potentially could be evidence of occupation during the siege as bored soldiers on the front line took time to scribe their thoughts on the stonework. The secret is to find stonework that was present at the time of the siege (those that have shot holes in them for example) and see if there are some fainter inscriptions on them. Here are some of the more obvious examples.
One or two folk asking about what those baskets are doing in Lady Kitty's Garden. Do not worry... the information panel is on its way. Really glad folk are beginning to notice the Siege Garden taking shape. The winter plants have been added but the site will come to life in the spring as the Blooming Haddington folk get stuck in to creating the display.
In the meantime the low winter sun provides a stunning back drop to the new garden features.
Well look at this. Haddington voted best Staycation venue for 2023
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/village-scotland-crowned-ultimate-staycation-28545930
Thats great news... now we have to give them something to look at when they get here.
If anyone of these folk want a guided tour off the siege sites... then just call the HHS and we would be more than happy to share the history.
Haddington of East Lothian has been called the "ultimate" Scottish staycation spot and it has plenty to see and do for all ages if you're after a more low-key holiday.
Heads up that the survey report for the Holy Trinity church site will be made available on the Haddington's History Society website very soon. Keep an eye out for it. We will continue to fill the HHS virtual library with all our reports as we do the surveys.
The Siege of Haddington 1548-9 Intro to the project The Siege of Haddington Research Group (SHRG) is affilted with Haddington’s History Society and with specific interest in the siege of Haddington. It took the English pioneers and soldiers sixty eight days in the summer of 1548 to turn the Royal ...
As the days get darker, we are looking forward to attending a few heritage events in the area:
1. Our Film Club November screening will be a special event - documentary film screening and Q&A with the filmmakers of 'Two and Half Questions'. This 45 minute film explores the lives and aspirations of the Windrush generation and their descendants. Following the screening will be an online Q&A with Marsha and Clovis Lowe from OxygenArts in London. This event will be on Thursday, 17th November 2022 at our usual time of 6pm in the Star Room.
On Saturday, 19th November, the John Gray Centre will be hosting a 'Heritage Day' and the following are events that I will be hosting:
2. As it is the 300th Anniversary of the Tranent & Cockenzie Waggonway, Scotland's first wooden railway, the Waggonway Group will be giving a presentation on their project highlights and the publication of 'The Work Journals of William Dickson - Wright at Cockenzie 1717 to 1745' in the Star Room at 1030-1130. You will be enlightened by the fascinating story of William Dickson who helped to build this earliest railway. His journals represent a unique cultural resource and highlights what East Lothian life was like in the early to mid18th century. The presenters will also bring copies of this publication for anyone to purchase.
There will also be a display of some railway related images/photos from our collection as well as books in the concourse of Haddington Library. In addition, there will be railway themed and family oriented crafts in the Library and upstairs in the Museum. So please spread the word to any families with Primary school children!
3. A very special author event. Alex Renton, who is a journalist with The Times and Newsweek, has published a book entitled 'Blood Legacy' about his family history connection to slavery. This book is very well researched, powerful, and deeply moving. It asks the question of how are we to repair the historic damage done by Trans-Atlantic slavery. Alex will speak about his book and do a Q&A. To make the Q&A a bit more appealing and relaxing, there will be light lunch served for attendees: sandwiches and refreshments. This event will take place on the first floor in the Local History Centre at 12 noon.
The above events are all free-of-charge but places are limited. Therefore, advance booking must be made by contacting Dr. Hanita Ritchie at mailto:[email protected] or the JGC at [email protected].
Some exciting events here to get along to as the days get colder!
Last week, we managed to finish off the metal detecting of the Manse Garden! Sadly there was little in the way of 16th century finds but a few Elizabethan era coins to add to the collection.
On a different note, a little walk around the Haddington led us to a few ‘new’ bullet holes on the bridge near Church Street. It is not impossible to picture the English troops taking shots at targets on the bridge from their nearby fortifications…! A little more investigation is needed
So last weekend we conducted some Geophysical survey at Holy Trinity Church in Haddington.
We used a mixture of magnetometry, metal detecting and a preliminary wall survey conducted by Tom Addyman!
Despite being hindered by the ground being tough, from the unprecedented heat and drought, we are hoping that some results come from it! There were no major finds but some old coins did crop up!
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