“Educating Reekie: The archaeology of Old College Quadrangle, University of Edinburgh” a short lecture by Tom Addyman, Simpson & Brown Architects with Addyman Archaeology, at the Archaeological Research in Progress (ARP 2011) national day conference on Saturday 28th May 2011 at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

In early 2010 an archaeological evaluation was carried out by Addyman Archaeology in advance of a general repaving scheme within Edinburgh University’s Old College Quadrangle. This revealed the presence of ex situ human bone and fragmentary early structural remains. Main site works commenced under watching brief conditions and significant archaeology was encountered across the quad – leading to a large scale excavation.

The site has a well documented history and archaeological remains survived from each phase of its recorded development, from the medieval period onwards. While landscaping in the 19th century had significantly altered the topography, archaeology still survived to notable depths along the north and east sides of the quad. The site of St Mary’s, Kirk ‘o Field collegiate church had largely been destroyed by 17th century quarrying. However an area of its cemetery survived within which 66 inhumations were encountered a matter of centimetres beneath the modern surface; of these 44 were exhumed and subject to osteological analysis. Fragments of clay-bonded walling in the SE part of the quad likely represent collegiate buildings. Further structural remains, possibly the infirmary of the collegiate church, were found to the NW, these were apparently incorporated in the 1550s into the town residence of the Duke of Chatelherault, Hamilton House. The north side of the cemetery was bounded by a perimeter wall and a metalled roadway, these running NNW-SSE across the site; the road skirted the south side of Hamilton House.

In the 1580s the church site was redeveloped for Edinburgh’s newly founded college. Hamilton House and some of the collegiate buildings were incorporated and remodelled. Substantial remains of the 17th century college buildings were uncovered. At the NW angle of the quad were revealed parts of the college’s laigh court. Along the north side of the site the cellarage of the 1642 library was revealed and, further east, a major building of 1617 and an associated sunken cobbled courtyard.

From within the 1642 building were recovered various chemical compounds found in association with glass and ceramic laboratory apparatus, these evidently dating to the first two decades of the 19th century.

In addition to the enormous quantity of disarticulated and re-deposited human remains, the excavation produced a significant assemblage of pottery, glass and metalwork, particularly coins.