Clay and lime mortars
contextualising early medieval masonry techniques in Atlantic Scotland
Clay, Lime, Earth, Mortar, Masonry
Atlantic Scotland, Carloway, Breckness House, Eynhallow Church, Orkney, Scotland, UK
Early medieval, Medieval
Abstract
This paper seeks to situate the mortared masonry techniques used to construct various pre-Romanesque chapels in northern and western Scotland within a broader geographical and chronological context. A combination of desk-based and fieldwork evidence is presented which highlights the apparent scarcity of mortar-bonded masonry buildings across the region before the medieval period, and demonstrates that lime and clay mortars repeatedly re-emerge into the Scottish archaeological record together – in different cultural contexts. This close archaeological, architectural and historical association extends to the use of both clay and lime mortars in our pre-Romanesque chapels, complicating narratives around native vs imported masonry techniques, and prompting closer scrutiny of the relationship between technical innovation, craft tradition and the environment.
