7.3.6 Other Material Culture

Many facets of medieval life are reflected in the objects excavated in Perth and Kinross. It would be desirable for a comprehensive strategy for material culture found in the region, including through activities such as metal-detecting, to be developed. Unfortunately, creating research priorities for all possible types of find is a vast undertaking and beyond the scope of a brief regional overview such as this. However, there are some areas of particular interest which are perhaps worthwhile highlighting.

Ivory knife handle from Perth ©️ Perth Museum and Art Gallery

We have a surprisingly limited understanding of experiences of childhood in medieval Scotland. Although physical evidence for children is apparent in burials and in some clothing items, particularly shoes, many of the traces of their lives are indistinguishable from the adult population. Toys are one of the areas where they might become visible – though even here we should not automatically assume that toys and games were the preserve of childhood. Objects associated with childhood often come to light in unpredictable ways, and we should be conscious of the need to identify, curate and interpret them. The archaeology of childhood is an important area of study, and one in which artefacts from Perth and Kinross may play a significant part (M Hall 2014; 2018).

Shiny black gaming piece, which looks like a triangle, but with a curved top. It is chipped and scratched but otherwise intact.
Jet gaming piece from Perth ©️ Perth Museum and Art Gallery

Further research into how medieval gender roles affected material culture, and vice versa, might be beneficial. Interdisciplinary approaches may help inform our understanding of this topic. It should perhaps be noted that we must be wary of applying later assumptions about gender to medieval societies. For example, the presence of needles and sewing items should not automatically be associated with femininity. Written records from medieval Scotland show that embroidery and tailoring were often male activities, especially in commercial settings (Dickson et al 1877–1978). The spinning of thread, on the other hand, is more likely to have been performed by women, not least because it could be done while undertaking other tasks, such as caring for offspring (C Smith, pers comm). Numerous spindle whorls have been excavated in Perth, made from a variety of materials including stone, bone and wood (Dransart et al 2012; Smith et al 2011, 129–34). The Perth High Street excavations also produced relatively rare wooden spindles (Curteis et al 2012, 272–4).

Spindle whorl from Dunkeld ©️ Perth Museum and Art Gallery

Further physical evidence for medieval music would be of great interest. Significant musical finds from the burgh of Perth include a medieval bone flute from excavations in Skinnergate and a Jew’s harp of copper alloy from the High Street (Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust 2004, 4; Goodall 2012, 111). Meanwhile, fieldwalking in Bridge of Earn in the late 1990s turned up a ceramic whistle ‘in the form of a robed figure playing a wind instrument’ (Hallyburton and Brown 2000, 72). Metal-detecting will probably continue to produce finds with musical, or at least auditory, associations. Indeed, it is thought that whistles, small bells and jingling dress accessories, worn by people and animals, were often used by medieval Scots to protect against malign supernatural influences (Hall 2021, 483–5).

Current historical research suggests that medieval Perth and Kinross had a rich musical culture. The burgh of Perth had frequent processions, dramatic performances, including the annual Corpus Christi play and ritual festivities such as Maying. Music formed an integral part of these celebrations (M Hall 2001, 182–4). There is written evidence for secular music making in Perth as far back as the early 1300s when Edward I of England made payments to ‘diverse vielle-players, timpanists, and other minstrels’ in the burgh (M Hall 2001, 183). The English king was also met by a group of women singers on the road between Ogilvy Castle and Gask who ‘sang to him in the way they were wont to do in the time of the Lord Alexander, lately king of the Scots’ (M Hall 2001, 183).

The relationship between literary culture and medieval physical objects is another area to consider. Some notable research on this theme has already been undertaken in Perth and Kinross, for example through study of the Tristram and Iseult mirror case excavated in Perth in the 1920s (M Hall and Owen 1998). As this example makes clear, the significance of such objects is sometimes realised many years after excavation, which emphasises the importance of good recording and curation of finds.

Intricate black metal circle, carved with a wreath of letters and numbers, and with  three people standing and one person on a horse. At the bottom is a small animal on all fours, possibly a dog.
Mirror case from Perth ©️ Perth Museum and Art Gallery

Several objects directly relating to books and writing have been discovered in the region. For instance, a lead stylus was found during a watching brief on Perth High Street (Smith et al 2016, 37). Excavation at Elcho Priory produced three book clasps, probably dating from the 15th or early 16th centuries, and a similar book clasp was found at Inchaffray Abbey (MPK1510; Reid and Lye 1988, 70–2). Of course, a significant number of medieval manuscripts and books from Perth and Kinross are preserved in Scottish archives, including the Perth and Kinross Archive, the National Records of Scotland, and the National Library of Scotland. Greater study of these manuscripts as physical objects, and comparison of items from excavation with archival material, would be advisable. Traditionally, analysis of books and documents has been the preserve of disciplines other than archaeology. However, manuscripts are part of the extant material culture of medieval Scotland and greater interdisciplinary dialogue might reveal new insights.

Research Priorities

PKARF Agenda 7.43: Improving recording and study of artefacts possibly associated with medieval children.

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PKARF Agenda 7.44: Using interdisciplinary approaches to better understand gender roles in medieval Perth and Kinross.

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PKARF Agenda 7.45: Developing understanding of the artefacts associated with music making in medieval Perth and Kinross.

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Research Questions

PKARF Qu 7.84: What can excavated and collected assemblages tell us about the visual culture of Perth and Kinross in the Middle Ages?

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PKARF Qu 7.85: What can the physical evidence tell us about musical culture?

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PKARF Qu 7.86: To what extent can we understand gender roles in medieval Perth and Kinross through the material culture?

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PKARF Qu 7.87: What can we discover about childhood from material culture?

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PKARF Qu 7.88: What physical evidence is there for scholarship and learning?

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PKARF Qu 7.89: How does material culture contribute to our understanding of medieval sensory perceptions?

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PKARF Qu 7.90: How does material culture contribute to our understanding of medieval magical, ritual and religious practices?

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