The 2025 season of archaeological excavation at Lindores Abbey has drawn to a close, with students and staff from the University of St Andrews and Brandeis University uncovering new layers of history, both literally and figuratively, within the Abbey ruins.
The Monastic Archaeology Field School, brought together a diverse group of students and supervisors from across the globe, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. Working in the shadow of the protected standing ruins of the Tironensian abbey, the team has spent the summer investigating how the monks who once lived here interacted with their environment, particularly their use of water, and following up on the results of earlier geophysical surveys.
This season saw six trenches opened across the abbey precinct, producing fascinating new insights into life at Lindores. Among the discoveries were:
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The possible line of the main monastic drain on the north-eastern side of the site.
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A stone-lined drain in a building to the south-east, believed to have managed waste from the abbey’s reredorter (toilet block).
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Remains of internal structures and occupation layers in what may have been the abbey kitchen.
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Evidence of 19th-century site clean-up efforts in the cloister, likely carried out by antiquarian Alexander Laing and others.
However, the standout discovery of the season came in the form of a copper alloy seal stamp, a small but significant object that once authorised letters and official documents. The stamp bears a coat of arms and may have belonged to John Leslie, Bishop of Ross, who was appointed Commendator of Lindores Abbey in the mid-16th century. His role was to oversee the division of the abbey’s estates after the Protestant Reformation. Found nearby were two German Nuremberg jettons, coin-like counters used in accounting, which together with the seal offer a rare glimpse into the final administrative days of Lindores as a functioning religious house.
Further artefacts highlight Lindores Abbey’s ties to Continental Europe, including pottery fragments from France and the Low Countries, as well as decorative floor tiles from Holland.
This year’s fieldwork was also filmed for an upcoming episode of the BBC series ‘Digging for Britain’, which is set to air in early 2026. A new interdisciplinary dimension was added this season with the inclusion of an oceanographer, who began investigating the abbey’s historical relationship with the nearby Firth of Tay, a critical aspect of the project’s broader focus on monastic water usage.
The project is led by Derek Hall, Prof Alison Beach, Prof Darlene Brooks Hedstrom, and Dr Kimm Curran, who together expressed their heartfelt thanks to the 15 students and 4 staff whose dedication made the season a success. They also extended their gratitude to the McKenzie Smith family and the Lindores Abbey Distillery team for their continued support and enthusiasm.
As the 2025 season wraps up, anticipation is already building for what future seasons of excavation may reveal. One thing is certain: Lindores Abbey continues to be a rich source of stories waiting to be told.
