Constructing lordship in North Atlantic Europe: the archaeology of masonry mortars in the medieval and later buildings of the Scottish North Atlantic.
Date
05/07/2017Item status
Restricted AccessEmbargo end date
05/07/2022Author
Thacker, Mark Anthony
Metadata
Abstract
This thesis investigates the archaeological potential of masonry mortars throughout North
Atlantic Europe, with a particular focus on the buildings and environments of medieval
northern and western Scotland.
The results of an extensive non-intrusive survey of medieval and later buildings are
presented, within which nine multiphase sites were subject to more comprehensive building,
environment and materials analysis. The survey suggests that, in general, different mortar-making
techniques had well-defined sub-regional distributions which are not simply a
correlate of environmental availability, but developed in different ways over time. Moreover,
all of the more comprehensively studied buildings contain evidence of striking material
contrasts from phases to phase which has great potential in standing building analysis.
Material contrasts in masonry evidence between building phases, between neighbouring
buildings, between specific buildings and the regional corpus, and between the regions
themselves, are then considered as evidence of changing cultural, chronological and
environmental context. The relationship between secular and ecclesiastical buildings across
the region is a particular concern.
Qualitative lab-based and on-site material interpretations made throughout the thesis are
supported by a programme of comparative experimentation. This thesis includes the first
comprehensive investigation of lime mortars made from marine shells, the first evidence of
lime mortars made from coralline algae, results from the first programme of dating medieval
buildings in Scotland through radiocarbon analysis of relict mortar fuel, and microstructural
analysis of a large range of medieval mortars from Norway to the Isle of Man. Wider
research considers the initial emergence of mortared masonry in North Atlantic Europe and
the relationship between clay and lime mortars.
Ultimately, by placing the upstanding buildings archaeology at the centre of the medieval
and later landscape this thesis will demonstrate that masonry mortars have significant
potential to inform our understanding of the cultural and environmental context of lordship
construction in the North Atlantic, providing a new focus for further interdisciplinary
discourse.