Well… the last element of the original Cousland BIG DIG, has been completed! The Windmill has been cleared and evaluated – and what a day… starting with the find of the day! A baby owl! Nicely rescued and moved to a safer place.
It was actually quite satisfying to chop down trees, cut nettles and clean up the place. What started off as a few stones covered in ivy, became a massive windmill! The vaulted chamber was 4.2 metres wide, 7.80m long and would have had an 8m wide circular windmill on top.
As Iain Fraser from the RCAHMS
“The site is widely visible today from across the Midlothian coastal plain to the west, and distantly from the East Lothian coast to the north-east. It is now an anonymous cluster of trees on the hillcrest to the south of the plantations of the Carberry estate, but prior to the growth of the trees the windmill would have been a conspicuous landmark on the Lothian skyline.”
Whats missing? A landmark!
Our digging in the vault chamber showed that we would need to clear out about 1 metre of soil, to get its full height. The rain came down in buckets… but we did not stop… CBDers stop for nothing!
Thanks everyone again……
Our Historian Louise Yeoman has been working tirelessly, and on Wednesday will be presenting findings to the group, as well as showing them how to study documentary evidence. One amazing fact that she has pointed us to is that Mary Queen of Scots mounted her horse near to Carberry Hill East Lothian. in 1547 after the non-battle of Carberry and surrendered to the Confederate Lords (of which Lord Ruthven was a major player – even involved in the murder of Rizzio) where she was taken and held at near by Cousland Castle over night where they decided her fate. 
Well, I give up my council job today.. back to normal… Its not so much going to another job, its just getting rid of one of four!
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