Clay and lime mortars

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. Canmore ID 1569Canmore ID 2170