Excavations at Rattray, Aberdeenshire. A Scottish Deserted Burgh

DOCUMENTARY sources identify the deserted settlement of Rattray, Aberdeenshire, as a royal burgh from the mid 16th century and as a probable burgh of barony from the 13th century. Excavation has revealed a more complex settlement history with a late 12th- or early 13th-century defensive motte having been replaced by a more manorial establishment which encouraged the development of an adjacent settlement between the 13th and 15th centuries. Domestic and industrial areas were excavated including metal-working and potting tenements. The form of the settlement and its inter-relationships with its natural and cultivated hinterland are examined. The project was funded by Historic Buildings and Monuments (now Historic Scotland)