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Community Affairs<br />
KIPPEN HERITAGE<br />
Archaeological Dig at Keir Hill of Dasher May 2022<br />
Kippen Heritage held its second archaeological dig at Keir Hill of Dasher over four days at<br />
the end of May. It followed much the same format as the previous dig in 2019, with the<br />
primary school children attending and taking part on the Friday afternoon and visitors<br />
invited to come along on the Saturday afternoon.<br />
However, this year saw a considerably<br />
increased number of volunteers with at<br />
least 30 attending every day, including many<br />
archaeological students and graduates. This<br />
resulted in a huge amount of excavation<br />
work over a much larger area. Contrary to<br />
2019 when excavation work was confined<br />
to the east and northeast of Keir Hill in a<br />
more restricted area, this year a trench was<br />
dug immediately out with the rampart (and<br />
Scheduled Area) of the Keir and around 18<br />
trial pits were opened across the field to the<br />
west of the Keir.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trial pits mainly produced shards<br />
of local Throsk Green Glaze pottery and<br />
other artefacts dating to 17th and 18th<br />
centuries. <strong>The</strong>se may have been discarded<br />
items from local occupation such as nearby<br />
Cuthbertson Cottage or the result of the field<br />
possibly being used over the centuries as a<br />
marketplace. <strong>The</strong>re was evidence of the field<br />
having been ‘flattened’ by ploughing over the<br />
centuries.<br />
<strong>The</strong> trench which was dug adjacent to the Keir measured 5.00 x 6.00 x 1.80m deep and<br />
confirmed the existence of a defensive ditch. Charcoal found at the base of the ditch<br />
will now be radiocarbon dated and it is expected that it will indicate the earliest date of<br />
occupation of the Keir as a fortified motte, to late 10th century, thus matching the 2019<br />
carbon finds.<br />
Discovered on the last day and of especial interest was the edge of a paved causeway.<br />
This was 1.00m below the existing ground level and from its position, clearly aligning with<br />
the entrance to the Keir, indicated a 6.00m wide paved access approach in line with the<br />
existing mown path.<br />
As well as the many visitors who came along to learn about the site, we also received a<br />
visit from archaeologists, Drs Neil McGuigan and Alex Wolf from St Andrews University,<br />
whose interests lie in understanding how the River Forth functioned as a boundary in premedieval<br />
times. Both visitors were impressed to see such a small but important site being<br />
excavated by a local community group, such as Kippen Heritage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> significance of Keir Hill is its strategic location on the south side of the River Forth<br />
overlooking one of the major crossing points at the Brig o’ Frew. Until around the end of<br />
the first millennium, the river marked a frontier between the Highlands and the Lowlands<br />
10 www.theweevine.org