Searching for clues …

Even molehills can provide clues to the past!

How are we exploring the Eddleston area?

We are using as many sources of evidence as we can.

These are just some examples.

Aerial photographs reveal sites that may not be obvious on the ground. This prehistoric settlement at Kaim Wood near Wormiston has been ploughed flat over the centuries, but its outlines can still be traced as differences in the growing crop. Crown copyright RCAHMS.

We can find out what is already known about the area, by visiting libraries and museums and talking to local people.

Historical documents tell us who has owned the land or lived in the parish hundreds of years ago.

In moorland or rough pasture, we can look for sites such as the remains of old houses and fields or ancient burial cairns

Here, a humanly worked piece of chert has been found in a molehill. Like flint, chert is a stone that can be chipped (or ‘knapped’) to make tools.

At certain times of year, we can examine fields after they have been ploughed to look for artefacts such as pottery or chipped stone tools left by people in the past.

We always make sure we have permission from the farmers and landowners

 … and we always follow the country code!

What can sources like these tell us?

The project has several more years to go and there is still much to be discovered. At the moment, it is all a bit like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of the pieces missing! But gradually, we will build up a picture of where people have lived and worked in the valley.

For example, our project is providing completely new information about the very earliest settlers in the area.