A Coal Mine in the Sea: Culross and the Moat Pit

Abstract

The article reconsiders the archaeology of the sixteenth-century Moat Pit mining complex at Culross and offers new interpretations of that archaeology. It places the coal mine in a wider context, suggesting a pivotal role in the development of the burgh. The study emphasises the innovative nature of Sir George Bruce's coal mining. The archaeologies of salt and iron working in Culross are considered along with their symbiotic relationships with coal. These industries gave impetus to the development of commerce in Culross, with its much altered, and now sadly neglected, pier at its heart. A comparison between the houses of George Bruce and his brother Edward highlights changing attitudes in Scottish society after the Union of the Crowns in 1603. The Moat Pit is also used as a case study to consider issues arising between industrial and urban archaeology in Scotland. It explores the impact of this debate upon the site's current unprotected and arguably undervalued status.