Timber in Scottish buildings, 1450–1800

a dendrochronological perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the dendrochronological data from Scottish buildings in terms of the proxy evidence it provides for the timber trade and condition of the woodland resource in the centuries under review. The bulk of the timber used in the construction of high status buildings during this period was either oak or pine, imported mainly from Scandinavia and the countries bordering the eastern Baltic. The documentary record for timber imports in Scotland is examined and compared with the physical evidence from the timbers themselves. The poor state of the native deciduous woodlands during this period is reflected in the dendrochronological data and explains the predominance of imported timber. While native Scottish pine has a long history of domestic use, exploitation escalated from the 17th century; there is much more pine in Scottish buildings of post-medieval date, both imported and native, and the difficulties and successes in identifying native pine in buildings is discussed. For the architectural historian and archaeologist, the relationship between the felling date of the timber and the construction of the building is critical to the interpretation of dendrochronological data. The issues which bear upon that relationship, seasoning, transportation times, stockpiling and recycling are considered in a Scottish context.