Delighted to have the SCOT2K team’s work published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, just out now in 2017. The paper shows how the use of Blue Intensity, as a proxy for latewood density, has been deployed to assist the …
Encounters with historic oaks
Interesting oaks feature large in some of my current projects. I am preparing a sample to age a fallen ‘Wallace Oak’ at Port Glasgow, and in reading around discover that there are several other Wallace Trees in Scotland with fascinating …
Another year, another tree-ring
A year since I last blogged, only because it has been an exceptionally busy time and still is! So the very briefest of updates, and with thanks to the many colleagues, collaborators and clients involved. Work continues on the Scottish …
Native Scottish dendro, new links & TRACE
I’ve been at the TRACE dendro conference this week, in Aviemore, organised by my colleagues at the University of St Andrews. Fantastic conference, I learned a great deal from the other speakers and poster presenters, as TRACE covers all branches …
Norwegian Wood? Dendro-dating in Anstruther
Dendrochronolgical analysis of single oak timber, a second floor joist, from St Nicholas Church Tower in Anstruther, was recently undertaken on behalf of the Anstruther Improvements Association. The analysis was successful in providing both a date and a provenance for …
RSFS awards trophy for Scottish dendro paper
The Royal Scottish Forestry Society recently awarded the Sir George Campbell Memorial Trophy for the following paper published in their journal: ‘Mills, C M & Crone, A 2012 ‘Dendrochronological evidence for Scotland’s native timber resources over the last 1000 years‘, …
Mingary Castle
This remarkable castle in west Ardnamurchan is one of my current projects, working alongside Tom Addyman and his team at Addyman Archaeology. Local resident and archaeology enthusiast Jon Haylett is blogging about the castle and the wider archaeology and conservation …
Lochwood’s ancient oaks
Why has it taken me so long to visit this astonishing old oak wood at Lochwood, near Beattock, Dumfries & Galloway. The old oaks are relicts of a medieval deer park or wider hunting forest beside Lochwood Tower, the historic …