Attainment through Archaeology with Stirling Young Carers at Bannockburn House 

A group of people are busy digging, walking and looking at a rockery. They are wearing gloves, some are holding trowels. There are lots of plants surrounding the group and some kneeling pads scattered on the ground.

During a very warm, humid week in July 2025, 18 young people from Stirling Young Carers participated in an intergenerational 10-workshop Attainment through Archaeology project at Bannockburn House with Stirling Field and Archaeological Society.

The young people explored and investigated this local heritage site alongside members from the local archaeology society. They gained hands-on archaeology experience, improving their understanding of the past, developing new skills and increasing their confidence before sharing their learning with others through a dramatic presentation, site tours and the creation of a comic. The young people earned Bronze Heritage Hero Awards for their valued and unique contributions to this project. 

The aim of the project was to build and support intergenerational community connection and collaboration by working with the young people and the local archaeology society together, in partnership, learning together. Groups involved in this project:

Stirling Young Carers

Stirling Young Carers service supports carers aged between 7 and 17. They offer support and guidance, and organise activities and trips.

Stirling Field and Archaeological Society

The Society have been undertaking archaeological excavations across Bannockburn House’s grounds, involving the local community. We worked with them to excavate and record an area in the beautiful grounds. The Society aims to inform and educate its members and the wider public in environmental subjects affecting the Stirling area, relating to natural history, local history and archaeology. 

A largegrey house with lots of windows is at the end of a gravel drive, with grass either side and stone kerbs. The sun is shining and the sky is bright blue and cloudy. The focus is 0.5x

Bannockburn House Trust 

The main aim of Bannockburn House Trust is to safeguard the property, its grounds, architecture and history for future generations. You can find out more about their research, work, Master Plan and how to get involved by visiting their website, or following them on social media. 

Introduction to Archaeology 

Map of Bannockburn House, Mid 19th Century. NLS Maps
Map: Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Stirlingshire, XVII.3 (Stirling) Survey date: 1858 to 1860, Publication date: ca. 1863, NLS Maps 

The young people had a hands-on introduction to how archaeologists find out about the people who lived in the past, by playing a ‘rubbish game’ and handling real artefacts and replicas. We discussed their materials, what they could have been used for and how old they might be. The group had their first glimpse of the site from above, using aerial photos and historic maps to locate places they knew nearby, before focusing in on Bannockburn House, its outbuildings, ground and gardens, looking for signs of change over time. 

Exploring Bannockburn House 

People stand looking towards a curving wooden staircase. Sun shines down from a window and there are shadows across the wooden floor.
A small brown wrinkled lemon in two halves is being presented on a plastic tray. A person is holding the tray with two hands. In the background there is a tartan carpet.

After getting to grips with how an archaeologist finds out about the past, the group had a brilliant tour of Bannockburn House, and a closer look at some of the artefacts that have been found at the site, including 19th century pottery and what might be the oldest lemon in Scotland! 

The engaging house history tour by Cat from Bannockburn House Trust brought the past owners of the house to life and captured the imagination of the group. They asked questions, shared local knowledge and were also given a comic about the history of the site, to take home. We got a behind-the-scenes view of the work being done to preserve and repair the historic building and its features. Since 2017, Bannockburn House Trust have been working hard to safeguard the property and its grounds for future generations. 

Exploring the archaeology 

An open trench is surrounded by grass, with some hazard tape to the left. Inside the trench there is a dark gully, and on one side there are lots of stones.
Photo from Bannockburn House Trust Facebook
In the centre, someone is holding two pieces of green pottery in their hands. One has a handle. There are other hands reaching out to hold it, and more people are standing in the background with their shoes in the photo.
Comparing pieces of Medieval pottery

Stirling Field and Archaeological Society (SFAS) welcomed us to their excavation and shared more of the coal mining history of the grounds. They explained how they investigate the area using maps, historical records and excavation. SFAS pointed out features in their dig site, including a coal mine shaft, road, trench and drainage pipe. They explained how archaeologists carefully remove layers of soil called ‘contexts’, and how the finds from each context tells us about what was happening here in the past. 

The group got to hold some of the finds from the site, including coal and pottery. One young person recognised the pottery SFAS had found and compared it with one of the artefacts they remembered from our very first handling session. Their pottery identification skills were correct, it was a piece of Medieval Green Glaze Ware. SFAS gave the group a great taste of what they would be doing, and what they might find. They explained how our project would contribute to the overall site excavation. 

Our excavation

One person in a grey hoody on the right is kneeling and using a scoop next to a bucket. On the left, a boy in a turquoise tshirt and orange gloves is smiling and showing a thumbs-up. Behind them is grass and soil.
Two smiling people are kneeling on mossy rocks. They are each holding a trowel. In the background out of focus are trees and a grey house with windows.

Stirling Field and Archaeological Society tasked the group with investigating a new area – a Victorian Water Garden and Rockery, named ‘Clementina’s Garden’. The young people were trained to use the tools correctly and made aware of all the hazards on an archaeological excavation before starting to dig. We carefully used trowels to excavate and uncover the feature and finds. We gently washed some of the finds and recorded what ‘context’ they came from. 

A boy in a grey hoody is holding an ipad with a blue case and handle. He is holding it with two hands. The background is out of focus plants.
A boy is standing bent over holding an ipad in both hands. Around him is a concrete feature that is gently curved and sloping. There are rocks and plants.

As well as uncovering finds, we recorded the ‘contexts’ (different layers of soil) these were found in, completing ‘context sheets’. It is important to record contexts to provide a bigger picture of what was happening in the area, and when. We measured depths of specific features, and took recording photographs and made 3D models using photogrammetry.

What did we find? 

On top of a white background are lots of pieces of broken objects. Some are reddish orange, some are clear glass and some are black and brown. They are different shapes and sizes, including one round marble ad one animal bone.
  • Pottery – ‘Blue and white’ sherds (pieces of pottery), ‘terracotta’ sherds, likely from plant pots, including one sherd with ‘SAN’ and one sherd with a curve that could have been a hole, part of a water pipe. And a piece of pottery that might be Medieval Green Glaze Ware!
  • Clay Tobacco Pipe stem and bowl sherd 
  • Marble (Stoneware, Saltglaze) 
  • Animal bone – Leg bone from a rabbit or hare 
  • Glass – sherds of different colours and thicknesses, some flat (window pane) and some curved (bottles), one with letters ‘JEYE’ 
  • Coal and Slag – hundreds of small pieces of coal and lots of slag (industrial waste made when heating materials like metals) 

A closer look at some of our finds: 

a hand is holding up a dirty piece of reddish orange pottery using their finger and thumb. The pottery has the letters 'SA'. The background is out of focus grass.
A reddish orange flowerpot is on a plain white background. The pot is reddish orange with some marks and soil. It is empty. On the outside near the top there are letters that have been stamped in, including 'SANKEYS'.
A black and white photo shows three flowerpots on planks. Behind the pots there are people standing facing the camera. They are boys and men and lots are wearing hats. Behind them are shelves with pots on, and lighting above their heads.

Find: Handmade stamped ceramic flowerpot sherd (clay). Possibly Richard Sankey & Son Ltd, Bullwell 

Date: 1895-1939 

In the mid 1800s, gardening grew in popularity and demand for flowerpots boomed! Founded in 1895, Sankey and Sons Ltd was based in Nottingham (England, producing 60,000 handmade clay pots a day. Each pot was handmade and stamped with a rolling “SANKEYS LTD” stamp, until 1939 when they used moulds instead. This sherd could have had a long life at Bannockburn before ending up in our context as Sankey Bullwell made the highest quality flowerpots! Each pot is unique, and stamps changed over time. However records were destroyed by fire in 1980. 

There are two creamy white objects. One is long, thin and cylindrical, with a hole in one end. The other has dirt, scratches and marks and is an uneven shape.
A man is holding a long pipe in one hand and lighting it using a match. He is wearing a red loose garment and a white shirt underneath with the sleeves rolled up. Behind him is a brick wall with torn posters.

Find: Clay Tobacco Pipe stem and bowl sherd 

Date: Likely 1800s 

Pipes like these were first used in the late 1500s when tobacco was introduced to Europe, and were used until the early 1900s. Pipes were made using moulds and sometimes had stamps or decorated bowls. People would smoke, break off the ‘stem’ every so often, and throw them away after using them, like a disposable vape. European tobacco use drove colonialism through enforced labour of enslaved African people on tobacco plantations. 

The Pipe of Freedom – Painting by Thomas Stuart Smith, 1869

This painting shows a man lighting a clay tobacco pipe. You can see the long ‘stem’ and bowl containing tobacco that he is lighting with a match. He is standing in front of a wall with the remains of posters. A ripped yellow poster for an auction of enslaved people has been partially covered by a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s 1893 Emancipation Proclamation – “all persons held as slaves within any State … shall be then, thenceforward and forever free”. You can see this painting at The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum, which was founded by the painter.

A round brown marble sits on the earth. At the bottom is a white ruler to show the size of the marble.

Find: Ceramic ball 

Date: Possibly 1800s or earlier

This ball may have been a marble. It is made of clay, possibly stoneware (very hard), and has a brown salt glaze, which looks a bit like orange peel. This glaze is made by throwing salt into the kiln during the hottest part of the firing process. Some stoneware salt glaze marbles have been recorded from the 1600s and 1700s, including in colonial America. 

A hand is holding a small piece of broken aqua coloured glass, with the letters 'JEYES' on it. The background is out of focus grass.

Find: Jeyes Fluid Glass Bottle 

Date: Late 1800s – early 1900s

Jeyes Fluid was first patented in 1877 by a chemist. It was used as a disinfectant and cleaning product and by gardeners to clean paths, pots, greenhouses, drains, and remove moss and weeds. As the group was excavating a Victorian Water Garden and Rockery, we thought it could have been used by the gardener to clean the feature in the past, or broken and thrown away by a maid working at the house. 

A slightly blurry photo of a white piece of pottery with dirt on one side. It is covered in a blue pattern with straight and curved lines and shading. The pattern is not clear.

Find: ‘Blue and White’ Ceramic plate(?) with blue transfer print under glaze 

Date: Possibly 1800s

This type of pottery is called ‘Blue and White’ and was very popular in the 1800s. It was mass produced and printed, rather than painted or made by hand. ‘Chinoiserie’ patterns were inspired by popular painted designs found on Chinese export porcelain. People liked patterns that showed ‘exotic’ or ‘Classical’ landscapes, as well as animals, country houses and botanical prints. 

A yellowy green piece of pottery is lying on the ground. It has some markings on and the pottery is a pale grey. Underneath the piece of pottery is a white ruler to show how big it is.

Find: Possible Medieval green glazed pottery 

We were thrilled to find what might be a fine sherd of green glazed pottery, made during the Medieval period. It has a mustardy-green shiny glaze on one side and the ‘fabric’ (clay the pottery is made of) is thin and grey. This type of pottery sometimes had decorations including faces. This type of green glazed pottery was produced for many centuries, so we don’t have an accurate date for this piece yet. We were pleased to find this sherd after being shown a similar find by SFAS. 

Pottery making inspired by our finds 

A child with glasses and a blue cap is holding a pot in both hands, with an apple inside. They are sitting on a blue and white chequered blanket
A child in a red hoodie is smiling and holding a pot in one hand, which has two yellow apples inside. They are sitting on a blue and white chequered blanket and there are out of focus people in the background.

Participants were set a challenge of making a clay pot big enough to hold some “gathered” apples from the orchard. They experimented with techniques for pottery making without the use of a wheel, and decorated their pots using natural materials. Using letter stamps, some young people marked their pottery with their name, just like the ‘Sankey’ pottery sherd we found. The original ‘Sankey’ stamp would have been a wheel stamp rolled around the pot. 

Heritage Interpretation 

Two smiling girls are standing on grass with trees in the background. They have one hand on their hip, and with their other hand they are both holding onto a comic.
A hand drawn double page comic is open on a brown wood pattern table. In the corner, someone is holding the page steady with one hand while they write with their other hand using an orange pencil.

The young people interviewed each other about the project. This was a fantastic way for them to share their experiences, learning and interests.  Some of the young people shared the project, finds and interviews in a comic book they made and gave out to the young people and SFAS volunteers. 

The young people gave an incredible show and tour of the archaeology, project and finds to SFAS and the Bannockburn House Trust team. They shared their learning, achievement and exciting finds and theories from the dig. They brought everyone together for a brilliant time celebrating the successful week, and another young person brought cupcakes for everyone. 

Future investigation

These images are captioned 'before' and 'after'. The first picture showes rocks overgrown with moss and grass and plants. The picture on the right shows the same rocks but a lot of the plants have been removed, with soil underneath.

Our group investigated ‘Clementina’s Garden’, a Victorian water garden and rockery which is unrecorded and first appears on a map in 1930. Using archaeological excavation, we uncovered finds and exposed the ‘rock’ face to photograph the feature. We investigated one small part of the water garden and rockery, which takes up a much larger area. While we were excavating the garden, the young people were curious to find out more: 

  • Who built the garden? 
  • How was the garden made? 
  • What did the garden look like? 
  • Where did the water come from? 
  • How did our finds get here? 

Fingers crossed for future projects to answer some of their questions…

A screenshot of a 3D model of the rockery. There is a central pond filled up with earth, with two concrete gullies curving away to the bottom of the photo. Around the central pond are grey rocks with green moss.
At the bottom is the brown earth. In a curve around the earth are large rough grey rocks with green moss on them. There are stepped stones going up the middle, with plants surrounding the rocks.

An interesting focus for further investigation is the material and structure of the garden. It looks like rock, but in places appears to be human-made. During the Victorian period, imported plants and ‘natural’ looking water gardens and rockeries boomed in popularity, leading to the creation of artificial rock gardens as this was cheaper than stone. The most successful creator of artificial rockwork was James Pulham, who invented ‘Pulhamite’, a material that looked like rock and even fooled some geologists. From the 1830s to the 1940s, his company designed and built rockeries, rock gardens and grottoes in parks and gardens all around the UK.

Could Clementina’s Garden be an example of a Victorian artificial rock garden?  

These pictures show a 3D model of the rocks, with a drawing on top of them. The drawing is blue showing water going down a waterfall and into a pond. On the right there are four carp swimming in the pool, they are white and red.

Evaluation

Outcome 1: Participants will have a better understanding of archaeology, what archaeologists do, and the skills they need  

This is an infographic showing the group know more about archaeology at the end of he project.

Outcome 2: Participants will have increased confidence in meta-skills, including communication skills

Outcome 3: Participants will have opportunity for intergenerational learning and collaboration  

A smiling woman is looking at a group of children. She is wearing a blue tshirt and a black fleece. Behind her is a big brown door with a gold sign on it.

Outcome 4: Participants will develop archaeological skills  

This is an illustration of a piece of paper 'layer record form', soil and grass and a measuring tape.

Heritage Hero Awards 

Heritage Hero Awards | Archaeology Scotland

Each participant was awarded a Bronze Heritage Hero Award certificate. This award recognises and celebrates the unique and valued effort, contributions and time each young person put in to exploring, investigating and sharing the archaeology and heritage of the project site and past. Stirling Field and Archaeological Society and local volunteers attended the award ceremony, congratulating and applauding the young people’s achievements. 

Quotes and Feedback 

“First of all, I’ve got to say a massive thank you for the week you put on for the children. They had an absolute blast! (Participant 1) can only focus like that when (1)’s genuinely interested and (Participant 2) struggles with the crowd setting in general so (2) just coming in each day and taking part like that is really meaningful.” – Stirling Young Carers Officer

From participants: 

  • ‘I liked finding pieces of history that have been buried’ 
  • ‘Digging was so fun and interesting’ 
  • ‘I have loved being with my friends outside’ 
  • ‘I felt accomplished after finding artefacts!’ 
  • ‘I liked finding stuff that no one’s found, and digging where no one has’ 
  • ‘Pottery is cool!’ 
  • ‘I’ve had a great time, I’d like to do something like this again’ 

Acknowledgements 

Thanks to all the staff and young people from Stirling Young Carers, and to the staff, members and volunteers from Stirling Field and Archaeological Society and Bannockburn House Trust.

Thanks to our funder Historic Environment Scotland. 

Stirling Young Carers Logo
Bannockburn House Trust logo
Historic Environment Scotland logo

Map: Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Stirlingshire, XVII.3 (Stirling) Survey date: 1858 to 1860, Publication date: ca. 1863, NLS Maps 

Sources, further reading and related information:

Related Posts '