Dawn McLaren
Biographic Data
| ID | 5662713 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Dawn McLaren |
| GIVEN NAMES | Dawn |
| FAMILY NAME | McLaren |
| SIGNATURE | MCLAREN D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Oxford Archaeology |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Early medieval iron production at Glenlee, Dumfries and Galloway
In 2020–21, excavations at Glenlee Power Station, near New Galloway, uncovered the remains of an iron bloomery mound (NGR: NX 60607 80411). The site comprised three large working hollows, containing truncated ironworking features, including furnace basal pits, and other clusters of pits, post holes and ditches. Over 450kg of vitrified debris was recovered, containing smelting slag, bloom, plano-convex bases, possible clay tuyère fragments, and ot…
Evidence for Multiperiod Occupation at Popple Burn Bank, Ednam, Scottish Borders
Proposed development at Popple Burn Park, Ednam, Scottish Borders, prompted an archaeological evaluation in May 2018, which revealed several archaeological features. With the archaeological potential of the area identified, three subsequent phases of excavation between 2018 and 2021 revealed multi-period activity that ranged from the Bronze Age to the medieval period, evidenced through analysis of pottery, and a programme of radiocarbon dating. S…
Prehistoric and Early Medieval Settlement Features at Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh
Evaluation and excavation works in advance of housing development at two sites on Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh, revealed significant archaeological features evidencing multi-phase settlement. At Ravelrig Road, two groups of pits were dated to the Early and Middle to Late Neolithic periods with a cluster of Copper Age and Early Bronze Age features that included two possible storage features. At Newmills Road, alongsi…
Expanding current understanding of the function, style and chronology of Grooved Ware from the A9 Dualling
In 2018 on behalf of Transport Scotland AOC Archaeology Group undertook archaeological investigations in advance of the construction of the 9.5km A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam. Six archaeological sites were excavated, revealing evidence of activity spanning the Early Neolithic to the early medieval period. Neolithic activity was confined to four sites, consisting of a palimpsest of pits, post holes and vestigial structures, some of whic…
Nasty, Brutish and Short?; The Life Cycle of an Iron Age Roundhouse at Black Loch of Myrton, SW Scotland
Excavations at Black Loch of Myrton, Dumfries & Galloway are revealing the very well-preserved remains of an Iron Age settlement, the wetland context ensuring that the timber structures have remained intact and that the detritus of daily occupation survives for us to pick apart and understand. One of the structures in this settlement is an exceptionally well-preserved roundhouse, the material remains of which have been subjected to a barrage of a…
Unenclosed prehistoric settlement and early medieval pits at Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray
The excavation of a greenfield development at the Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray (NGR: NJ 278 447) has revealed the remains of four episodes of heavily truncated settlement activity on a gravel terrace above the River Spey. In the Middle Bronze Age there was pit-digging activity, followed by a Late Bronze Age settlement consisting of at least two, and probably four, post-ring roundhouses and a four-poster. A single ring-ditch roundhous…
Musical tuning peg from Edinburgh Castle and the stringing of medieval harps
A stray bone tuning peg from late medieval levels within Edinburgh Castle, the first such find to be published from Scotland, probably belonged to a small, wooden, metal-strung harp. Although it is simply made, its dimensions indicate that the lost instrument had been built to standard units of measurement (inches and fractions of an inch), was probably the product of a craft workshop and was therefore a valuable item of equipment. With the excep…
A cremation pit at Howford, Strichen, Aberdeenshire
A small emergency excavation was undertaken under extreme conditions in 1984 after receiving a report that a Bronze Age urn was visible in an eroded embankment after a heavy frost. Cremated remains of a female adult and infant, 11 burnt flints, a possible fragment of ivory and five pierced clay ornaments were subsequently recovered from the remains of a cremation pit, but no urn was recorded. A radiocarbon determination 3510 ± 30 BP (SUERC-33727)…
Cist behind the Binns
During a routine archaeological monitoring visit to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property at the House of the Binns in August 2013, human bone was discovered eroding from a small bedrock quarry face. Following investigation by the NTS Archaeology Team this was identified as the remains of two male skeletons from the first centuries BC/AD. Both were buried within a single stone cist, with the remains of one individual (30–50 years old) cl…
A Short Cist Burial at Kilkeddan Farm, Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute
AOC Archaeology Group undertook the excavation of a previously unknown Bronze Age cist, located in a field close to Kilkeddan Farm, Argyll & Bute, during September 2005 under the Historic Scotland call-off contract for human remains. The cist was found to contain poorly surviving unburnt human skeletal remains along with a finely decorated tripartite Food Vessel and a flint knife. The incomplete and fragmentary condition of the skeleton suggests …
The excavation of two short cist burials at Broomlands, Kelso
Two stone-built short cists were excavated in Broomlands, Kelso, by AOC Archaeology Group under the Historic Scotland Call-off Contract for Human Remains. A single poorly preserved adult inhumation was recovered from one cist, along with a small intrusive disc-shaped perforated oil shale object. The inhumation was dated to 2340–2120 cal BC. The second cist contained heavily damaged and fragmentary unburnt bones from two adults. Radiocarbon dates …
Excavation of an unnamed castle at Cullykhan, Castle Point, Troup
The peninsula known as Castle Point, Troup, was occupied or used from the late Neolithic period to the Second World War. This paper deals with the construction and use of the castle, from the 13th to 17th centuries. The excavations of the castle site revealed the footings of a rectangular tower, with a cobbled courtyard and the remains of a kitchen range to its south-east. Within the kitchen was a collapsed fireplace arch bearing two similar maso…
Excavations at a Multi-period Site at Greenbogs, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and the Four-post Timber Architecture Tradition of Late Neolithic Britain and Ireland
This report outlines the unexpected discovery of a group of Late Neolithic structures at Greenbogs, Monymusk in Aberdeenshire, along with a series of later prehistoric features in the mid-1990s. Recent radiocarbon dating shows that two four-post timber structures found here date to the period 2890–2490 cal bc . These were found in association with a range of other features including an oval structure and diffuse areas of burning. The closest para…
Excavation of an Iron Age, Early Historic and medieval settlement and metalworking site at Eilean Olabhat, North Uist
The promontory site of Eilean Olabhat, North Uist was excavated between 1986 and 1990 as part ofthe Loch Olabhat Research Project. It was shown to be a complex enclosed settlement and industrialsite with several distinct episodes of occupation. The earliest remains comprise a small Iron Agebuilding dating to the middle centuries of the first millennium BC, which was modified on severaloccasions prior to its abandonment. Much later, the Early Hist…
New aspects of rotary querns in Scotland
This paper discusses aspects of Scottish rotary quern use which have received little attention in thepast, such as handling systems (particularly horizontal slot-handled querns), decoration and anunrecognised class of miniature examples. The growing corpus of rotary querns is starting to revealregional patternings and concentrations of particular decorative styles. This ongoing investigationsuggests that the picture is more complex than previousl…
Total excavation of a later prehistoric enclosure at Braehead, Glasgow
Total excavation revealed a later prehistoric multi-ditched and multi-palisaded enclosure succeeded by unenclosed settlement. Despite the obvious investment of time and labour in the construction of the numerous palisades and three large concentric ditches episodic, seasonal use of the site is strongly indicated. Total artefact retrieval produced a cannel coal assemblage which has thrown light on the manufacture of the cannel coal bracelets so ty…
Excavations at Dunure Road, Ayrshire
In March 2005, excavations were undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) at the Craig Tara Holiday Park, Dunure Road, Ayr in advance of proposed development. Two main archaeological sites were examined. The first, a flat cist cemetery covered by an earthen mound, comprised 23 separate burial features of varying morphology from two separate phases of burial, including cists, pits and what has been interpreted as a …
Excavations on the site of a late Iron Age roundhouse and souterrain, Glen Cloy, Brodick, Isle of Arran
Archaeological monitoring during topsoil stripping of a hotel and leisure development site in Glen Cloy, Isle of Arran in 2001 revealed the presence of a well-preserved, substantial roundhouse and an associated complex souterrain. The discovery is significant in terms of the information it provides for the distribution of souterrains in Scotland generally and in the west in particular, and for settlement and craft activities on Arran in the late …
Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney
In early 2005 a cluster of orthostat stones was exposed by coastal erosion at Meur, Sanday, Orkney. The excavation revealed a stone trough within the centre of an open space defined by walls. It was associated with at least one compartment and a secondary corbelled cistern with an overflow drain and was surrounded by a mound of dark soil and burnt stones. This burnt mound structure, comparable with other burnt mounds in the Northern Isles, was oc…
Excavations on the site of a late Iron Age roundhouse and souterrain, Glen Cloy, Brodick, Isle of Arran
Archaeological monitoring during topsoil stripping of a hotel and leisure development site in Glen Cloy, Isle of Arran in 2001 revealed the presence of a well-preserved, substantial roundhouse and an associated complex souterrain. The discovery is significant in terms of the information it provides for the distribution of souterrains in Scotland generally and in the west in particular, and for settlement and craft activities on Arran in the late …
Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney
In early 2005 a cluster of orthostat stones was exposed by coastal erosion at Meur, Sanday, Orkney. The excavation revealed a stone trough within the centre of an open space defined by walls. It was associated with at least one compartment and a secondary corbelled cistern with an overflow drain and was surrounded by a mound of dark soil and burnt stones. This burnt mound structure, comparable with other burnt mounds in the Northern Isles, was oc…
A pit containing an undecorated Beaker and associated artefacts from Beechwood Park, Raigmore, Inverness
In 2004 an archaeological evaluation prior to development at Beechwood Park, adjacent to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, revealed a pit which was found to contain both an undecorated beaker and a plano-convex flint knife at the base, with later slag from iron smithing dispersed in the fill. These associations are discussed and placed in their local and national context. Separately authored contributions include
Nasty, Brutish and Short?; The Life Cycle of an Iron Age Roundhouse at Black Loch of Myrton, SW Scotland
Excavations at Black Loch of Myrton, Dumfries & Galloway are revealing the very well-preserved remains of an Iron Age settlement, the wetland context ensuring that the timber structures have remained intact and that the detritus of daily occupation survives for us to pick apart and understand. One of the structures in this settlement is an exceptionally well-preserved roundhouse, the material remains of which have been subjected to a barrage of a…
Excavations at a Multi-period Site at Greenbogs, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and the Four-post Timber Architecture Tradition of Late Neolithic Britain and Ireland
This report outlines the unexpected discovery of a group of Late Neolithic structures at Greenbogs, Monymusk in Aberdeenshire, along with a series of later prehistoric features in the mid-1990s. Recent radiocarbon dating shows that two four-post timber structures found here date to the period 2890–2490 cal bc . These were found in association with a range of other features including an oval structure and diffuse areas of burning. The closest para…
Excavation of an Iron Age, Early Historic and medieval settlement and metalworking site at Eilean Olabhat, North Uist
The promontory site of Eilean Olabhat, North Uist was excavated between 1986 and 1990 as part ofthe Loch Olabhat Research Project. It was shown to be a complex enclosed settlement and industrialsite with several distinct episodes of occupation. The earliest remains comprise a small Iron Agebuilding dating to the middle centuries of the first millennium BC, which was modified on severaloccasions prior to its abandonment. Much later, the Early Hist…
New aspects of rotary querns in Scotland
This paper discusses aspects of Scottish rotary quern use which have received little attention in thepast, such as handling systems (particularly horizontal slot-handled querns), decoration and anunrecognised class of miniature examples. The growing corpus of rotary querns is starting to revealregional patternings and concentrations of particular decorative styles. This ongoing investigationsuggests that the picture is more complex than previousl…
Unenclosed prehistoric settlement and early medieval pits at Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray
The excavation of a greenfield development at the Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray (NGR: NJ 278 447) has revealed the remains of four episodes of heavily truncated settlement activity on a gravel terrace above the River Spey. In the Middle Bronze Age there was pit-digging activity, followed by a Late Bronze Age settlement consisting of at least two, and probably four, post-ring roundhouses and a four-poster. A single ring-ditch roundhous…
Cist behind the Binns
During a routine archaeological monitoring visit to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property at the House of the Binns in August 2013, human bone was discovered eroding from a small bedrock quarry face. Following investigation by the NTS Archaeology Team this was identified as the remains of two male skeletons from the first centuries BC/AD. Both were buried within a single stone cist, with the remains of one individual (30–50 years old) cl…
Excavations at Dunure Road, Ayrshire
In March 2005, excavations were undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) at the Craig Tara Holiday Park, Dunure Road, Ayr in advance of proposed development. Two main archaeological sites were examined. The first, a flat cist cemetery covered by an earthen mound, comprised 23 separate burial features of varying morphology from two separate phases of burial, including cists, pits and what has been interpreted as a …
A pit containing an undecorated Beaker and associated artefacts from Beechwood Park, Raigmore, Inverness
In 2004 an archaeological evaluation prior to development at Beechwood Park, adjacent to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, revealed a pit which was found to contain both an undecorated beaker and a plano-convex flint knife at the base, with later slag from iron smithing dispersed in the fill. These associations are discussed and placed in their local and national context. Separately authored contributions include
Excavations on the site of a late Iron Age roundhouse and souterrain, Glen Cloy, Brodick, Isle of Arran
Archaeological monitoring during topsoil stripping of a hotel and leisure development site in Glen Cloy, Isle of Arran in 2001 revealed the presence of a well-preserved, substantial roundhouse and an associated complex souterrain. The discovery is significant in terms of the information it provides for the distribution of souterrains in Scotland generally and in the west in particular, and for settlement and craft activities on Arran in the late …
Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney
In early 2005 a cluster of orthostat stones was exposed by coastal erosion at Meur, Sanday, Orkney. The excavation revealed a stone trough within the centre of an open space defined by walls. It was associated with at least one compartment and a secondary corbelled cistern with an overflow drain and was surrounded by a mound of dark soil and burnt stones. This burnt mound structure, comparable with other burnt mounds in the Northern Isles, was oc…
Excavations on the site of a late Iron Age roundhouse and souterrain, Glen Cloy, Brodick, Isle of Arran
Archaeological monitoring during topsoil stripping of a hotel and leisure development site in Glen Cloy, Isle of Arran in 2001 revealed the presence of a well-preserved, substantial roundhouse and an associated complex souterrain. The discovery is significant in terms of the information it provides for the distribution of souterrains in Scotland generally and in the west in particular, and for settlement and craft activities on Arran in the late …
Excavation of a burnt mound at Meur, Sanday, Orkney
In early 2005 a cluster of orthostat stones was exposed by coastal erosion at Meur, Sanday, Orkney. The excavation revealed a stone trough within the centre of an open space defined by walls. It was associated with at least one compartment and a secondary corbelled cistern with an overflow drain and was surrounded by a mound of dark soil and burnt stones. This burnt mound structure, comparable with other burnt mounds in the Northern Isles, was oc…
A pit containing an undecorated Beaker and associated artefacts from Beechwood Park, Raigmore, Inverness
In 2004 an archaeological evaluation prior to development at Beechwood Park, adjacent to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, revealed a pit which was found to contain both an undecorated beaker and a plano-convex flint knife at the base, with later slag from iron smithing dispersed in the fill. These associations are discussed and placed in their local and national context. Separately authored contributions include
Total excavation of a later prehistoric enclosure at Braehead, Glasgow
Total excavation revealed a later prehistoric multi-ditched and multi-palisaded enclosure succeeded by unenclosed settlement. Despite the obvious investment of time and labour in the construction of the numerous palisades and three large concentric ditches episodic, seasonal use of the site is strongly indicated. Total artefact retrieval produced a cannel coal assemblage which has thrown light on the manufacture of the cannel coal bracelets so ty…
Excavations at Dunure Road, Ayrshire
In March 2005, excavations were undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) at the Craig Tara Holiday Park, Dunure Road, Ayr in advance of proposed development. Two main archaeological sites were examined. The first, a flat cist cemetery covered by an earthen mound, comprised 23 separate burial features of varying morphology from two separate phases of burial, including cists, pits and what has been interpreted as a …
Excavation of an Iron Age, Early Historic and medieval settlement and metalworking site at Eilean Olabhat, North Uist
The promontory site of Eilean Olabhat, North Uist was excavated between 1986 and 1990 as part ofthe Loch Olabhat Research Project. It was shown to be a complex enclosed settlement and industrialsite with several distinct episodes of occupation. The earliest remains comprise a small Iron Agebuilding dating to the middle centuries of the first millennium BC, which was modified on severaloccasions prior to its abandonment. Much later, the Early Hist…
New aspects of rotary querns in Scotland
This paper discusses aspects of Scottish rotary quern use which have received little attention in thepast, such as handling systems (particularly horizontal slot-handled querns), decoration and anunrecognised class of miniature examples. The growing corpus of rotary querns is starting to revealregional patternings and concentrations of particular decorative styles. This ongoing investigationsuggests that the picture is more complex than previousl…
Excavations at a Multi-period Site at Greenbogs, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and the Four-post Timber Architecture Tradition of Late Neolithic Britain and Ireland
This report outlines the unexpected discovery of a group of Late Neolithic structures at Greenbogs, Monymusk in Aberdeenshire, along with a series of later prehistoric features in the mid-1990s. Recent radiocarbon dating shows that two four-post timber structures found here date to the period 2890–2490 cal bc . These were found in association with a range of other features including an oval structure and diffuse areas of burning. The closest para…
Excavation of an unnamed castle at Cullykhan, Castle Point, Troup
The peninsula known as Castle Point, Troup, was occupied or used from the late Neolithic period to the Second World War. This paper deals with the construction and use of the castle, from the 13th to 17th centuries. The excavations of the castle site revealed the footings of a rectangular tower, with a cobbled courtyard and the remains of a kitchen range to its south-east. Within the kitchen was a collapsed fireplace arch bearing two similar maso…
The excavation of two short cist burials at Broomlands, Kelso
Two stone-built short cists were excavated in Broomlands, Kelso, by AOC Archaeology Group under the Historic Scotland Call-off Contract for Human Remains. A single poorly preserved adult inhumation was recovered from one cist, along with a small intrusive disc-shaped perforated oil shale object. The inhumation was dated to 2340–2120 cal BC. The second cist contained heavily damaged and fragmentary unburnt bones from two adults. Radiocarbon dates …
A Short Cist Burial at Kilkeddan Farm, Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute
AOC Archaeology Group undertook the excavation of a previously unknown Bronze Age cist, located in a field close to Kilkeddan Farm, Argyll & Bute, during September 2005 under the Historic Scotland call-off contract for human remains. The cist was found to contain poorly surviving unburnt human skeletal remains along with a finely decorated tripartite Food Vessel and a flint knife. The incomplete and fragmentary condition of the skeleton suggests …
Unenclosed prehistoric settlement and early medieval pits at Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray
The excavation of a greenfield development at the Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Moray (NGR: NJ 278 447) has revealed the remains of four episodes of heavily truncated settlement activity on a gravel terrace above the River Spey. In the Middle Bronze Age there was pit-digging activity, followed by a Late Bronze Age settlement consisting of at least two, and probably four, post-ring roundhouses and a four-poster. A single ring-ditch roundhous…
Musical tuning peg from Edinburgh Castle and the stringing of medieval harps
A stray bone tuning peg from late medieval levels within Edinburgh Castle, the first such find to be published from Scotland, probably belonged to a small, wooden, metal-strung harp. Although it is simply made, its dimensions indicate that the lost instrument had been built to standard units of measurement (inches and fractions of an inch), was probably the product of a craft workshop and was therefore a valuable item of equipment. With the excep…
A cremation pit at Howford, Strichen, Aberdeenshire
A small emergency excavation was undertaken under extreme conditions in 1984 after receiving a report that a Bronze Age urn was visible in an eroded embankment after a heavy frost. Cremated remains of a female adult and infant, 11 burnt flints, a possible fragment of ivory and five pierced clay ornaments were subsequently recovered from the remains of a cremation pit, but no urn was recorded. A radiocarbon determination 3510 ± 30 BP (SUERC-33727)…
Cist behind the Binns
During a routine archaeological monitoring visit to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property at the House of the Binns in August 2013, human bone was discovered eroding from a small bedrock quarry face. Following investigation by the NTS Archaeology Team this was identified as the remains of two male skeletons from the first centuries BC/AD. Both were buried within a single stone cist, with the remains of one individual (30–50 years old) cl…
Nasty, Brutish and Short?; The Life Cycle of an Iron Age Roundhouse at Black Loch of Myrton, SW Scotland
Excavations at Black Loch of Myrton, Dumfries & Galloway are revealing the very well-preserved remains of an Iron Age settlement, the wetland context ensuring that the timber structures have remained intact and that the detritus of daily occupation survives for us to pick apart and understand. One of the structures in this settlement is an exceptionally well-preserved roundhouse, the material remains of which have been subjected to a barrage of a…
Expanding current understanding of the function, style and chronology of Grooved Ware from the A9 Dualling
In 2018 on behalf of Transport Scotland AOC Archaeology Group undertook archaeological investigations in advance of the construction of the 9.5km A9 Dualling: Luncarty to Pass of Birnam. Six archaeological sites were excavated, revealing evidence of activity spanning the Early Neolithic to the early medieval period. Neolithic activity was confined to four sites, consisting of a palimpsest of pits, post holes and vestigial structures, some of whic…
Prehistoric and Early Medieval Settlement Features at Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh
Evaluation and excavation works in advance of housing development at two sites on Ravelrig Road and Newmills Road, Balerno, City of Edinburgh, revealed significant archaeological features evidencing multi-phase settlement. At Ravelrig Road, two groups of pits were dated to the Early and Middle to Late Neolithic periods with a cluster of Copper Age and Early Bronze Age features that included two possible storage features. At Newmills Road, alongsi…
Evidence for Multiperiod Occupation at Popple Burn Bank, Ednam, Scottish Borders
Proposed development at Popple Burn Park, Ednam, Scottish Borders, prompted an archaeological evaluation in May 2018, which revealed several archaeological features. With the archaeological potential of the area identified, three subsequent phases of excavation between 2018 and 2021 revealed multi-period activity that ranged from the Bronze Age to the medieval period, evidenced through analysis of pottery, and a programme of radiocarbon dating. S…
Early medieval iron production at Glenlee, Dumfries and Galloway
In 2020–21, excavations at Glenlee Power Station, near New Galloway, uncovered the remains of an iron bloomery mound (NGR: NX 60607 80411). The site comprised three large working hollows, containing truncated ironworking features, including furnace basal pits, and other clusters of pits, post holes and ditches. Over 450kg of vitrified debris was recovered, containing smelting slag, bloom, plano-convex bases, possible clay tuyère fragments, and ot…
Archaeology (20 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (19 works) · Geography (17 works) · History (15 works) · Excavation (14 works) · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies (13 works) · Ancient history (10 works) · Geology (10 works) · History (10 works) · Radiocarbon dating (7 works)