EHG3776 - Trial trenching - Friars Street, Inverness

Two trial trenches were excavated by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery in 1985 in advance of demolition and redevelopment of properties numbered 17-33 on the west side of Friars Street, Inverness, in an area formerly known to be within the precinct of the Dominican friary. The southern trench (Trial Trench 1), which was 'L'-shaped with maximum dimensions of 5m x 3m was excavated in the gardens behind Nos. 17-19. This revealed a pit c. 1.2m by 1m and over 1m deep, which had been used as a dump for small boulders, architectural stone fragments, the lower part of a medieval pot-quern decorated with a face mask, an incomplete C15 glazed jug and a Henry III coin. Several other small features were also excavated, containing a small number of medieval potsherds. The northern trench (Trial Trench 2), which was 'Z'-shaped with maximum dimensions of 4.5m x 2.5m was excavated behind No. 25. This only revealed many C19th shallow pits containing C19-C20 china fragments. <1> <2> The finds from the excavations were deposited in Inverness Museum. <3>