It was whilst working on the landscapes of the Battle of Bannockburn that I discovered a document, in the National Records of Scotland, which described the buildings of the Bannockburn estate in the early eighteenth century.
The document was compiled following the forfeiture of Sir Hugh Paterson of Bannockburn for his involvement in the 1715 Jacobite rising. As such, it is one of many surveys of forfeited estates at the time - but seems to be the only one which has such a detailed description.
Most (though not all) of the buildings are described as being built of stone and mud, most were thatched with straw and in some cases further structural details are given.
It was immediately obvious that, with around 100 buildings described, it was an important document, joining earlier hints of the importance of clay build in the Stirling area.
My paper on this topic has just appeared as 'Clay and the Buildings of the Bannockburn Estate in 1716' Vernacular Building, volume 37, 73-86. I have also included a brief outline of the economic developments of the immediate area at the time of the survey, including the development of new markets and fairs and the existence of coal, lime and stone workings; these are crucial parts of the context of the buildings themselves.
It is particularly gratifying to see it appear in a volume commemorating the work of the late Sandy Fenton, whose work on vernacular buildings in general (and clay build in particular) was so important.
The document was compiled following the forfeiture of Sir Hugh Paterson of Bannockburn for his involvement in the 1715 Jacobite rising. As such, it is one of many surveys of forfeited estates at the time - but seems to be the only one which has such a detailed description.
Most (though not all) of the buildings are described as being built of stone and mud, most were thatched with straw and in some cases further structural details are given.
It was immediately obvious that, with around 100 buildings described, it was an important document, joining earlier hints of the importance of clay build in the Stirling area.
My paper on this topic has just appeared as 'Clay and the Buildings of the Bannockburn Estate in 1716' Vernacular Building, volume 37, 73-86. I have also included a brief outline of the economic developments of the immediate area at the time of the survey, including the development of new markets and fairs and the existence of coal, lime and stone workings; these are crucial parts of the context of the buildings themselves.
It is particularly gratifying to see it appear in a volume commemorating the work of the late Sandy Fenton, whose work on vernacular buildings in general (and clay build in particular) was so important.
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