Soil and spatial analyses in the assessment of the focal point of the extinct medieval royal burgh of Roxburgh

Abstract

The ‘lost’ royal burgh of Roxburgh in the Scottish borders is arguably one of the most important archaeological settlement sites in Scotland of the medieval period. Although short-lived, being occupied as an urban centre for just around 300 years, in its heyday, it was a royal residence, jurisdictional and administrative seat, and regional focus of economic activity and international trade. Presently however, very little surviving above-ground trace remains of this once dynamic settlement. With a Scheduled Monument status (No. 4284), activity on-site is now restricted to prevent damage to the below-ground archaeology. This study explores the locale(s) of Roxburgh’s main thoroughfare in the Friars’ Haugh area during its occupation through the spatial analysis of soil data coupled with historical records and findings from past research studies. The aim of the study is two-fold; (1) to determine the viability in the investigation of archaeological landscapes of standard, relatively non-invasive lowcost analytical techniques applied in the study, as permissible on sites with Scheduled Monument status, (2) in synergy with previous geophysical, and geoarchaeological studies carried out on the site, provide new evidence and/or corroborate the existing knowledge base in advancing the discourse on the history and development of Roxburgh. The study area encompasses the putative location of the main street as identified in a previous study by GSB Prospection and Wessex Archaeology. Suites of soil markers (phosphorus concentration, magnetic susceptibility, organic carbon content, and soil pH), were used to demarcate zones of high to low activity through quantitative changes in the concentration and/or value of these markers. Potable optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) analysis was used to investigate depositional history that revealed a progressive accumulation of materials of proximal origins, however, evidence of mixing of sediments is discernible. The spatial distribution of soil markers across the site shows two zones of substantial enhancement, revealing potentially a second thoroughfare on the west of the site (site B), in addition to the main thoroughfare on site A which overlaps with the site identified in previous studies.