The medieval inhabitants of South East Scotland used wood for a wide range of purposes, including buildings, boats, barrels and a vast array of tools and domestic utensils. Recent years have seen significant dendrochronological work on timbers from medieval buildings in the region (Mills and Darrah 2020; Crone and Mills 2012; Cressey 2008), including:
- Jedburgh Abbey, where native oak felled before AD 1300 was identified.
- St Giles Cathedral, where 15th-century native oak from Darnaway was used in the tower.
- Edinburgh Castle, where 16th-century Scandinavian oak was used in the Great Hall
- Town House at Dunbar, where 16th-century imported oak was also recorded.
Indeed, the South East has the largest number of buildings with dendrochronological dates of any region in Scotland (see ScARF’s Dendrochronology Research Framework for Scotland).
During the late medieval period there appears to have been a notable shift away from using native timber for buildings in South East Scotland – presumably reflecting the significant deforestation of the region. Further interdisciplinary research into the local and international timber trades would be desirable. Further study of the date and processes by which South East Scotland became deforested would be desirable. It should perhaps be noted that there is historical evidence for medieval efforts to preserve and expand woodland – the extent to which this translated into improved woodland management in reality is an interesting question.
The South East of Scotland does not merely have structural medieval woodwork. There also survives significant late medieval timber ceilings and carved panels and doors. For example, the National Museum of Scotland has fragments of sixteenth-century carved detailing from the building traditionally known as Marie de Guise’s House on Blyth’s Close in Edinburgh. Ceilings remain in situ at the NTS Gladstones Land. Such items provide valuable clues regarding the interior decoration of late medieval Scottish homes. Recent research has been undertaken regarding painted timber ceilings in Scotland. However, a wider survey of the use of decorative woodwork in the region’s medieval interiors could be of interest.
Of course wood was also used for a wide range of tools and utensils. Recent excavations at India Buildings in Edinburgh have found wooden bowls and combs, as well as barrels, structural timbers, and wattle-work, all preserved in the waterlogged conditions of the Cowgate. Further research into smaller wooden artefacts should be a priority – including consideration of the extensive corpus of wooden items preserved in the region’s museums.
Timber and Woodworking
- What can we discover about medieval woodland management in South East Scotland? How severe was the medieval deforestation of the region?
- What types of wood were worked in South East Scotland during the medieval period? Were there changes in the species or age of trees used over the course of the Middle Ages?
- Where was the timber sourced for woodworking in South East Scotland?
- At what date did imported timber become the norm for large building projects in South East Scotland?
- Do we see use of locally sourced wood for smaller objects / structures even at dates when large timbers were typically imported?
- What tools were used to work wood? Did these change during the medieval period?
- To what extent was woodwork undertaken by professional carpenters / wrights? What types of items were made by specialist woodworkers and what sorts of objects were typically crafted in the home?
- Were there regionally distinctive aspects to decorative woodworking (e.g. carved wood panels for interiors)?
- What can we learn about the evolution of boatbuilding in South East Scotland during the medieval period?