Summary
The buried remains of a medieval monastery identified as the remains of St Leonard’s Nunnery.
Reasons for Designation
The remains of this monastic site identified as St Leonard’s Nunnery are scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Survival: archaeological investigation has demonstrated that it retains significant archaeological deposits including both structural and artefactual remains;
* Documentation: the foundation and subsequent history of the site is well documented, in particular it is noted that it was damaged in 1333 during the Battle of Halidon Hill;
* Diversity: the 'Benedictine' layout of the monastery and the identification of key buildings have been established, including church, cloister and chapter house;
* Potential: few nunneries have been examined in detail, and the largely unexcavated remains will inform our knowledge and understanding of its foundation, use and abandonment;
* Group value: it shares group value the registered site of the Battle of Halidon Hill.
* Association: The site is associated with the scheduled medieval town walls and castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed, and with the scheduled medieval church and graveyard at Castle Terrace.
History
Nunneries were established for women living communal lives of structured religious devotion. Most of the major religious orders including Benedictines, Cistercians, Augustinians, Franciscans and Dominicans made separate provision for women, but many houses were small, usually with fewer than twelve nuns under a prioress, and poorly endowed. The earliest nunneries were founded in the C7 but most of these had fallen out of use by the C9. A much larger second wave of foundations, or re-foundations belong to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Nunneries typically followed the ‘Benedictine’ layout, with church and domestic buildings arranged around a cloister, with ancillary buildings, all set within a defined precinct. Documentary sources suggest that while at least 153 nunneries existed in England, (of which the precise locations of only around 100 sites are known) less than 20 were founded in Scotland. When compared to monastic sites, few nunneries have been examined in detail and it is likely that future research will greatly increase our understanding.
The existence of a Cistercian Nunnery dedicated to both St Mary and St Leonard, situated somewhere on the outskirts of Berwick-upon-Tweed, is well attested in medieval documents. The nunnery was founded by David I in c 1140 and is thought to have been a relatively small establishment in possession of 600 acres. The nunnery, its prioress and nuns are mentioned in contemporary records including the fact that the nunnery was damaged in 1333 during the Battle of Halidon Hill. Although Edward III ordered its rebuilding, it is considered unlikely that repairs were carried out, and with only two nuns in residence in 1390, the nunnery was suppressed by Robert III and its lands and revenues transferred to Dryburgh Abbey. In 1420 it is described as to be ‘so destroyed that scarcely any traces of buildings remain'.
The site of this nunnery is traditionally located in a field situated at the junction of the Duns Road and the A1, north-west of the town on the western edge of Bondington; it also lies close to the foot of Halidon Hill, site of a battle fought between the English and the Scottish in 1333. This field is depicted on the first edition 1:10560 Ordnance Survey map of the area published in 1866 as ‘Site of St Leonard’s Nunnery’ and on the second edition published in 1899 as ‘St Leonard’s Nunnery (Cistercian site of)’, and on subsequent editions to the present day. The location of the nunnery in this field is also described in most of the printed histories of Berwick since the end of the C18; one of these, published in 1888, describes the site as lying in the ‘Nunslees’ which further confirms the tradition. There are also early-C20 records of agricultural workers noting the presence of sandstone masonry being brought to the surface of the field. In 1954 during the construction of houses (1- 4 Duns Road) immediately to the east of the nunnery site, human remains were discovered and reported by the police pathologist to be 500 or 600 years old; there was speculation at the time that these remains may have been soldiers who fought in the Battle of Halidon Hill, but given their location to the east of the church it is also possible that this was the remains of a monastic cemetery. Further finds during this construction work included one or more stone coffins and a stone coffin lid, supporting the presence of a monastic graveyard.
Aerial photographs taken in 1976 revealed a series of parch marks at the nunnery site; these indicate the buried presence of a large building of cruciform plan identified as a church, two large rectangular buildings lying to the north and north-west and a linear boundary to the south of these buildings. In 2003, field walking, geophysical survey and partial excavation at the site confirmed its interpretation as a medieval monastery; blocks of dressed sandstone, sections of a column and evidence of structural walls were uncovered by excavation and finds included medieval glass, a bronze key and animal bone. In 2006 further geophysical survey was carried out and a fuller understanding of the monastery layout was obtained, including the identification of the cloister to the north of the church, the extent of the east range and the identification of the chapter house. Further trial trenching revealed the presence of a demolition horizon, beneath which survived substantial stone walls representing buildings and the survival of surfaces; two graves, one with a stone cover were present within what is interpreted as the chapter house. The linear feature bounding the site to the south comprised a substantial boundary complex comprising wall and ditch. In total almost 450 pieces of mostly medieval pottery and over 100 pieces of medieval window glass were recovered from the excavations.
Details
The monastic site is situated above the steep north bank of the River Tweed at the junction of Duns Road and the A1. It is visible on aerial photographs as parch and cropmarks, and has also been investigated by geophysical survey and partial archaeological excavation. It comprises a complex of buildings surviving as low stone walls, many robbed, but which retain original floor surfaces. A large building of cruciform plan about 32m long, truncated at its east end and oriented east to west is interpreted as the conventual church; the southern transept is larger than the north, and is thought to incorporate a chapel. Attached to the north side of the nave is a rectangular cloister flanked by ranges of buildings, with a chapter house thought to occupy the centre of the east range. Other buildings are present to the west and south of the church, including what is thought to be a large lodging house. It is considered likely that the remains originally extended further on the north, east and west sides, but a linear boundary feature running west to east immediately to the south of the buildings is interpreted as part of a precinct boundary.
Extent of scheduling:
The monument includes the full known extent of the buried remains and their immediate environs as they have been identified by aerial photography, geophysical survey and partial excavation. Its south side is defined by what is considered to be the remains of the precinct boundary and on the east side the site has been truncated by the construction of 1-4 Duns Road. On the north and west sides no traces of further archaeological remains have been confirmed and these sides are also now truncated by roads.
