On Thursday 9th September the first talk of the 2021/2022 season, which was part of East Lothian’s Archaeology Fortnight, was delivered by zoom due to COVID. Graeme Cavers of AOC Archaeology gave a presentation entitled “LiDAR and the Landscape of the Lammermuirs”
Graeme explained that the data was collected by a plane which flew over the area using GPS coordinates. Lasers attached to the plane collected data which allowed the pinpointing of objects in the landscape to an accuracy of within 10cm and often as close as 3cm. This technique allows a view of the landscape, a level of detail and identification of anomalies and objects that would be very time consuming and, in many cases, impossible to get from the ground.
The data was made available to the public who helped to scrutinise the pictures and mark places and landforms for further investigation. A survey of sheep folds and abandoned farmsteads was carried out. Areas of rig and furrow farming now abandoned were identified and the remains of forts previously unknown were noted.
Several sites were excavated to collect further information. Graeme described the work at Bunkle Castle carried out by the Bunkle and Preston History Group, the discovery of a curved wall at Morham Castle, a Bronze Age burial chamber near the Whitadder reservoir and a curiously shaped long narrow building which was thought to be for sheep and perhaps belonged to the monks from Kelso Abbey.