Digging 3: Dating evidence

It is a luxury to have reliable dating on a site. The skeletons lie in ground that was taken from the church in 1582, when presumably all burials stopped. This date is therefore the terminus ante quem or TAQ, the "end before which" the bodies must have been interred.

Last week, when the skeletons were first uncovered, my colleague Kenny found this coin associated with Skeleton 1. A copper penny of James the Third (reigned 1460 -1488) probably from around the middle of his reign, and as you can see, pretty unworn. So round about 1482 is the terminus post quem. Not bad, tying the date down to within a century!

On the obverse (the left-hand image) you can see his name at the bottom: Jacobus I'm not sure what the design represents; a buckled belt? (associations of knightly purity?)

A large hoard of these pennies was found at Crosmaguel Abbey near St Andrews, so they are generally called Crosmaguel Pennies. On this site, it will be forever known as "The Kenny Penny" ;)

After a long day, scraping the baking hot clay, trying to see if I could spot any more graves, I went to the allotment, watered the courgettes and picked some more broad beans, which I have just cooked: I put them into a saucepan in which I had fried some onion, garlic and a couple of rashers of smoked bacon cut up; then poured in a dash of white wine, bunged the lid on, and let them do away over a low heat for 20 minutes or so.

Quick, easy and delicious :)
or as M is saying in Belgium; Lekker!
She is fine, but still with only occasional access to t'internet.