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Excavations at Glasgow Cathedral 1988 - 1997
In 1988 extensive archaeological investigations began at Glasgow Cathedral revealing evidence for the first cathedral built in 1136 and subsequent 12th century phases.
188 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
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October 28, 2025
Bought this in a second-hand bookshop during a visit to Scotland's 'book town', Wigtown, in late summer 2025.
I knew going in this was an academic publication - not designed to be a readable book - and an archaeological investigation presented as such.
That being said, I felt that as someone with a deep, if only as a lay person, interest in the subject, and not only the cathedral but Glasgow and Scotland's social, religious and political history, I would be able to work through the denser parts and enjoy the insights the investigation provided.
Even for me, it was just too much of a slog to get through, especially deep dives into soil types and coffin dressings, or the heights of individuals buried within the cathedral. It was certainly exhaustive, and I'm sure fellow archaeologists would have been in their element.
The language used wasn't overly academic or technical, but there were certainly instances where prior knowledge or understanding of archaeological terminology was inferred by the author(s). This is wholly reasonable though.
That being said, I did find it interesting to learn about the three stages of building in the 12th and 13th centuries and that some of the original foundations were found, as was the reuse of masonry and decorated and painted stone.
One related criticism here is that there wasn't much in the way of interesting finds, beyond a pestle and mortar hidden in the ground below the crypt, likely during the Reformation. This is due to the limitations of the digs, which were based on very strict parameters related to necessary maintenance work. A full excavation is improbable, to say the least, but would likely throw up much more interesting finds and results.
Personally, I was looking for more information on the history of events that surrounded the cathedral, and this was never the book for this, which is totally on me and my rating should he considered as coming from my interest rather than any commentary on the contents or standard of the work.
For me, it's lesson learned: leave the academic minutiae to the experts and stick to the history books.
I knew going in this was an academic publication - not designed to be a readable book - and an archaeological investigation presented as such.
That being said, I felt that as someone with a deep, if only as a lay person, interest in the subject, and not only the cathedral but Glasgow and Scotland's social, religious and political history, I would be able to work through the denser parts and enjoy the insights the investigation provided.
Even for me, it was just too much of a slog to get through, especially deep dives into soil types and coffin dressings, or the heights of individuals buried within the cathedral. It was certainly exhaustive, and I'm sure fellow archaeologists would have been in their element.
The language used wasn't overly academic or technical, but there were certainly instances where prior knowledge or understanding of archaeological terminology was inferred by the author(s). This is wholly reasonable though.
That being said, I did find it interesting to learn about the three stages of building in the 12th and 13th centuries and that some of the original foundations were found, as was the reuse of masonry and decorated and painted stone.
One related criticism here is that there wasn't much in the way of interesting finds, beyond a pestle and mortar hidden in the ground below the crypt, likely during the Reformation. This is due to the limitations of the digs, which were based on very strict parameters related to necessary maintenance work. A full excavation is improbable, to say the least, but would likely throw up much more interesting finds and results.
Personally, I was looking for more information on the history of events that surrounded the cathedral, and this was never the book for this, which is totally on me and my rating should he considered as coming from my interest rather than any commentary on the contents or standard of the work.
For me, it's lesson learned: leave the academic minutiae to the experts and stick to the history books.
Displaying 1 of 1 review