EHG98 - Walkover Survey - Dunbeath Estate

Archaeological walkover surveys of the Dunbeath Estate were undertaken by staff and students of the Department of Archaeology at Glasgow University, supervised by Dr. A Morrison, between 1984 and 1989 in order to establish its archaeological and historical value. In order to survey the estate more easily, the land was divided up into units using natural boundaries auch as tracks, waterways and field boundaries. Groups of students then systematiucally walked these areas marking sites or likely archaeological features with survey rods. These were then photographed, accurately drawn and subsequently plotted. Survey work on Dunbeath Estate was undertaken on the coastal strip south of Dunbeath Water during one week in March, 1984, by 27 students under the supervision of Dr. W. Hanson and Mr. E. Talbot; part of the south-western inland area was surveyed by a party of 10 students under the supervision of Dr. A. Morrison and Dr. M. Nieke between 22nd June and 4th July, 1985. The areas were walked systematically and any sites or likely archaeological features were marked with canes. The sites were located on the 1:10,000 map, given a Grid Reference, and in some cases photographed. Sketch plans were also made of some of the main settlement clusters. The weather conditions of March, 1984 and June/July, 1985 did not make the work of location and planning any easier, with mist and torrential rain. <1> Survey work in 1986 was concentrated in the valleys of the Houstry Burn, the Allt na Learanaich and the lower course of the Dunbeath Water, taking in all of the eastern area of the Estate to the eastern and north-eastern boundary. The northern part of the estate, in the region of the headwaters of the Houstry Burn, had very few sites in comparison with areas farther south, and the most prolific region that year, with more than 40 sites, was DB12, between Dunbeath Water and Alit na Learanaich. <2> The survey work was published and summarised in 1996. <3>