A wide variety of food processing activities took place in South East Scotland during the medieval period, including milling, baking, the preservation of meat and fish and the production of butter and cheese. It should be noted that a significant proportion of the food processing sites, and in particular corn mills, currently recorded in the historic environment records for South East Scotland are of uncertain date. More investigation of these sites would be desirable.
Water mills hold substantial potential for interdisciplinary study. There is written documentation for many of these sites, sometimes from quite an early date. For example, in the 1170s a grain mill belonging to the Abbot of Inchcolm was recorded on the river at Cramond (Cadell 1973, 2). Even where the actual mill buildings have been demolished, water mills often leave a significant trace in the landscape, with indications of where associated dams, lades, and ponds were once located, and survey of possible mill sites could be of considerable interest. Currently, we have a patchy understanding of how the quantity, locations, and design of water mills evolved in the region over the medieval period, with some question even about the extent to which vertical or horizontal wheels were used. Study of the relationship between different mills might also be helpful. For example, textual and early cartographic evidence shows that by the end of the medieval period there was a considerable number of mills along the Water of Leith – consideration of the ways in which mills so close together functioned, including how the flow of water was controlled, could be productive.
For most of the medieval period, people were legally required to have their grain ground at specific mills. However, a number of rotary and saddle querns of uncertain date have been discovered in the region, particularly in the Borders. At present, it is unclear to what extent hand querns continued to be used for the processing of grain during the medieval period, and more research into this question would be welcome.
Further study of the other processes which grains could undergo, including their use in the production of ale, would be desirable. Recent decades have seen considerable historical interest in brewing – an occupation in which women were often involved (Ewan 1999; Ewan 2000; Mayhew 1997). There is a degree of written evidence regarding monastic brewing at sites such as Holyrood – where a brewhouse stood in the area to the south of the main abbey buildings, although it was apparently in a ruined state by the 1560s (Gallagher 1998, 1093). However, there have been few efforts to provide an overview of the archaeological for brewing in the region, and it is possible that we are therefore overlooking significant aspects of the material culture of this industry.
Cheese, and butter played a significant role in the diets of some medieval Scottish communities. Yet much of the research in this area has focused on the north of Scotland. At present, we have a surprisingly patchy understanding of the role that dairy products played in the diets of the residents of South East Scotland, and the ways in which they processed milk. It is is possible that interdisciplinary approaches may show some light on this question, including the degree to which traditions of cheese and butter making diverged in lowland and upland communities.
Unsurprisingly, there have been numerous assemblages of medieval animal bones excavated in South East Scotland. We have particularly plentiful evidence from urban sites, although there are also assemblages from some rural settlements, such as Eldbotle. These bones have already provided us with information about butchery practices. For example, it appears that axes and cleavers were some of the chief tools used by the region’s medieval butchers. We also have insights into the age of animals at slaughter (often slightly older than would be typical today). There is, though, still potential for much more work to be done on animal bones and the sites where they are found. For example, isotopic analysis might reveal if animals travelled significant distances prior to slaughter, as well as giving other indications about medieval animal husbandry.
The medieval period saw significant quantities of fresh water and salt water fish consumed within Scotland and exported overseas. Although fish were not as large a part of the economy of the South East, as in regions such as Aberdeenshire, customs records still indicate that moderate amounts of preserved salmon, herring, and cod were exported from Leith, especially in the 16th century (McNeill and MacQueen 1996, 246, 256-258). Study of the places and processes by which fish were caught, prepared and preserved in Lothian and the Borders could be of interest.
Greater research into the preservation and storage of food more generally should be a priority for the region. Considering the significance of grain production in South East Scotland, there has been surprisingly limited archaeological consideration of medieval barns and granaries. An interdisciplinary approach might be helpful here as such buildings are sometimes attested in the historical record. Clues about other strategies for the storage and preservation of food have been uncovered at a number of medieval sites in the region. However, there is a need to link together these findings to provide overviews of how the medieval residents of South East Scotland tackled the ongoing challenge of ensuring that foodstuffs acquired in seasons of plenty lasted into times of shortage.
Food Processing Research Questions
- What can we discover about granaries in South East Scotland during the medieval period?
- To what extent was there a growth in watermills during the medieval period? Were there periods when particularly large numbers of mills were constructed?
- What factors determined the siting of new mills?
- To what extent did mills disrupt the wider landscape (for example through the creation of dams and lades)?
- What can we learn about mill machinery?
- How common was the use of hand-querns in South East Scotland during the medieval period?
- How common were bread ovens in South East Scotland during the medieval period? Were ovens primarily an urban / elite phenomenon?
- How did the design of corn-drying kilns evolve in South East Scotland during the medieval period?
- What evidence can we find of brewing? Did brewing activity alter over the course of the medieval period?
- Is there evidence for medieval distilling in South East Scotland?
- What can we learn about the production of cheese and other dairy products? Were there significant differences between upland / lowland and rural / urban areas in how milk was processed?
- What can we learn about butchery practices? Was there a notable difference in how animals were slaughtered in urban and rural areas?