Rural Settlement
- What is the relationship between medieval and modern rural settlement patterns?
- How were rural settlements organized during the medieval period? Were ferm-touns the primary form of rural settlement in South-East Scotland throughout the period from 1100 to 1600?
- In what ways did rural settlements change over the course of the medieval period? Is there evidence of growth / decline?
- Did Anglo-Norman immigration in the eleventh and twelfth centuries alter the layout or distribution of rural settlements?
- To what extent did wider crises (e.g. plague / Anglo-Scottish conflict) affect rural settlements?
- Can we identify abandoned rural settlements? What led to these sites ceasing to be occupied?
- Is there a notable difference in settlement pattern and design between upland and lowland areas of south-east Scotland?
- How did agricultural practices shape the distribution and layout of rural settlements?
- What other considerations appear to have determined the layout of medieval settlements?
- What can we learn about temporary settlements and sites associated with transhumance?
- How much variation in plan and construction was there in lower status rural dwellings?
- Are there any distinctive regional aspects to lower status rural dwellings and settlements?
- What can we discover about the design of agricultural buildings (e.g. barns, byres)?
- How widespread was stone construction in rural areas? Does the use of stone change over the medieval period?
- To what extent is there evidence of communal activities or use of resources in lower status rural settlements?
- What evidence can we find of connections between rural communities and the wider world?
- What is the impact of hunting forests on medieval rural settlement and field systems, do they differ from settlement patterns elsewhere?
- How widespread was assarting and what form did it take?
- Are transhumance and other temporary settlement sites present in hunting forests?
Urban Settlement
- What was the relationship between the new burghs of the 12th and 13th centuries and earlier settlement patterns?
- What can we learn about the processes by which urban settlements were planned and established?
- What factors influenced street plans and property boundaries?
- When were the key periods of urban growth? Were there regional phases of expansion and contraction or were trends more burgh specific?
- In what ways did migration influence urban centres? How stable or unstable were urban populations?
- What can we discover about middle ranking and smaller burghs? How physically different from the surrounding countryside were these smaller urban communities?
- In what ways did coastal and inland burghs differ?
- How were the edges of burghs demarcated? Can we find evidence for walls, ditches or gateways?
- What can we discover about the development of Edinburgh’s urban defences?
- How did urban dwellings evolve during the medieval period? To what extent did houses in burghs differ from dwellings in rural settlements?
- How common were buildings with more than one storey? Do we see a significant rise in the height of urban buildings during the medieval period?
- What were the main building materials in urban areas?
- Were there significant differences between the design of urban dwellings in Edinburgh and in other burghs?
- Were there particular regional characteristics to urban dwellings in South-East Scotland?
- When and where do we see the sub-division of burgage plots? What factors appear to have led to burgage plots being divided? Is there evidence for the amalgamation of burgage plots?
- How much variety was there in living standards in urban areas? Is there evidence for particular periods of hardship / growing inequality?
- Is there evidence for waste burgage plots? Were there periods with a particular preponderance of waste properties?
- Is there evidence of fires or other forms of destruction?
- Can we find evidence of the impact of plague or other epidemic diseases in urban areas?
- How did marketplaces develop over the course of the medieval period?
- What can we discover about the development of tolbooths and other civic buildings / spaces?
- Can we identify processional routes and performance spaces in or near urban settlements?
- What can we learn about recreational activities in and around burghs?
- How was water and waste managed in urban areas?
- How did burghs impact their environs? Is there evidence for different patterns of settlement, land use, or pollution in the immediate hinterland of urban settlements?
High-Status Residences
- In what ways did elite residences change during the medieval period?
- How did the location of medieval elite residences relate to earlier sites of importance?
- What factors shaped the location and design of royal, noble, and gentry estate centres?
- Did Anglo-Norman immigration significantly alter the design of elite dwellings?
- How did notable periods of crisis and instability (e.g. the Wars of Independence or the Rough Wooing) affect elite sites?
- What can we learn about the decoration and furnishing of elite residences?
- To what extent did elite dwellings in South-East Scotland follow national and international fashions?
- Where were food and goods sourced for elite residences?
- How much evidence is there for the importation of luxuries (or indeed any other type of resources)?
- What can we discover about entertainment and display?
- Is there evidence for changing expectations of privacy and / or comfort during the medieval period?
- How was access to elite dwellings managed and controlled?
- What can we find out about the homes of the lower ranking gentry? To what extent were they visibly different from the dwellings of surrounding farming communities?
- What was the gender balance in elite residences? Were these disproportionately male households? What can we find out about the lives of women in these households?
- What can we discover about the lives of retainers and servants?
- How did the kitchens and other service buildings for elite residences evolve during the medieval period?
- What can we learn about the setting of elite residences (e.g. gardens, parks, agricultural activity, industrial sites)?
- How did elite residences impact on surrounding communities? What was the relationship between estate centres and the wider countryside?
- Add ‘hunting forests’ to the list of environments in the question: What can we learn about the setting of elite residences?
- What do we know about hunting lodges and halls?
- What do we know about medieval deer parks and traps and how are they located in relation to elite residences?
Health and Diet
- How was food stored, prepared and served?
- What can we learn about strategies for preserving food?
- Can we discover more about patterns of spoilage / waste of food?
- Did the amount and type of meat consumed alter significantly over the course of the medieval period?
- To what extent did patterns of meat-eating vary across different localities within South-East Scotland? For instance, can we see greater reliance on cattle in some areas as against sheep in other areas?
- Where was meat sourced from? Were livestock raised near to where they were slaughtered? Is there evidence for the movement of livestock across significant distances (e.g. from upland to lowland areas)?
- At what sites do we see evidence of consumption of venison? Did the consumption of venison change over time? Was venison primarily associated with sites with parkland?
- Did the amount and types of fish consumed alter significantly over the course of the medieval period?
- How widespread was the consumption of fresh-water fish? To what extent did patterns of fish consumption differ in coastal and inland areas?
- What can we discover about fishing practices in South-East Scotland during the medieval period?
- What types of vegetables and nuts were consumed?
- How extensive was the importation of food and drink? Was the consumption of imported food and drink concentrated on particular sites (e.g. urban areas, royal residences)?
- What types of grains were cultivated and consumed? Can we see differences in the grains consumed in different localities or by different ranks in society?
- How prevalent were rats and mice in South-East Scotland during the Middle Ages? Can we find evidence for a notable difference in the number of murids in rural and urban areas? Did the presence of rats and mice trigger different strategies for food storage?
- What was the relationship between social status and the consumption of particular types of food and drink?
- How common was malnutrition? Can we identify particular periods of hardship?
- What diseases and injuries were prevalent? Did these change over time?
- Were certain injuries or illnesses associated with particular occupations?
- Was there a notable difference between the health of urban and rural communities?
- What parasites were common in the region?
- Can we discover more about epidemic diseases in the region?
- How were the sick and disabled cared for? What can we learn about medieval medical practices in South-East Scotland? Did care for the sick differ significantly in rural and urban areas? What role did the Church play in care for the sick and disabled?
- When did leprosy arrive in South-East Scotland?
- What was typical life expectancy for people who reached adulthood?
- How common was death during infancy and childhood?
Leisure and Entertainment
- What can we learn about recreational activities in and around burghs?
- What can we discover about royal entries and other forms of major national celebrations?
- What can we learn about tournaments in the region?
- What can we learn about musical instruments?
- What can we learn about inns and taverns?
- What can we find out about archery, caiche, football, and other sports played in South-East Scotland during the medieval period?
- How did the treatment of pets change during the medieval period? What types of animals were kept as pets and in what conditions?
- What can we learn about cockfighting and bear baiting?
- What can we discover about hunting in the region?
- How did men’s and women’s recreational activities compare? To what extent was recreation segregated by gender?
- What can we find out about tabletop games?
- What can we discover about children’s play?
- What can we learn about medieval hunting practice?
Clothing and Dress
- What types of materials were used for clothing?
- Did the textiles used for clothing change during the medieval period? Was there a notable difference in materials used in rural / urban and upland / lowland communities?
- How widespread was the use of linen? Where was linen produced?
- What dyes were used for clothing? What proportion of textiles were undyed?
- How widespread was the use of cloth woven on warp-weighted looms? Can we see a decline in the use of warp-weighted looms over the course of the medieval period?
- How common were other forms of textile production (e.g. felting, sprang)?
- What can we learn about embroidery and other forms of decoration?
- To what extent were furs and animal skins used in clothing in the region? What furs were popular? Did the popularity of particular furs change over time?
- In what ways did the cut of clothes change during the medieval period?
- To what extent did the clothing of men and women differ? Did gender differences in clothing become more noticeable during the medieval period?
- What can we learn about children’s clothing?
- How were infants clothed? To what extent did infant clothing in South-East Scotland alter during the medieval period? Can we discover more about swaddling practices in the region?
- How did the design of shoes and boots alter during the medieval period? What proportion of the population wore shoes? Is there evidence for different shoe-wearing practices in urban and rural areas?
- How was clothing fastened? To what extent were pins and brooches used? How common were buttons? Was there a rise in the use of buttons during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?
- How did the design of brooches and other metal dress items evolve during the medieval period?
- How prevalent were imported textiles and other items of dress? What sectors of society had access to imported items?
- To what extent did clothing in South-East Scotland reflect wider European trends?
- Were there regionally distinctive aspects to dress in South-East Scotland during the medieval period?
- Did sumptuary legislation change what people in South-East Scotland actually wore?