ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER A LOST MEDIEVAL VILLAGE IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS

The historical evidence demonstrates that houses and farms were known in this area but it does not identify their location, while the archaeological evidence can provide some indication of the location of structures. The site and surrounding area is well known for the Battle of Philiphaugh in 1645 but contemporary accounts refer to ditches, dikes and hedges that indicate field systems, but they do not mention houses or buildings, which could suggest that the farms or small holdings had been abandoned by that time. These investigations demonstrate that there was a thriving farming community in the immediate area, one that was ‘lost’ in the later farming improvements that restructured farms and fields.