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Search for lost Bishop's Palace

Archaeologists are looking for traces of a possible Bishops Palace near Ancrum in the Scottish Borders.

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Archaeological dig underway

An archaeological dig is underway that could uncover a lost Bishop's palace.

The dig in Ancrum in the Scottish Borders has long been believed to have been an important medieval site.

Now experts from Glasgow University are hoping to uncover a Bishop's Palace, or a stronghold of the crusading Knights of Malta. The work has been commissioned by Scottish Borders Council. Their archaeological officer said:

"One of Glasgow's bishops - Bishop de Bondington who was responsible for building Glasgow Cathedral - actually died in the village after dictating his last writ to the Pope.

"Ancrum, it seems, was at the very centre of medieval religion and politics until the Wars of Independence."

– Dr Chris Bowles, Scottish Borders Council archaeology officer

A map from the 1770s depicts a ruined building on the site, but every map thereafter shows a blank field.

Dr Bowles believes the ruins were most likely brought down around the turn of the 19th century to make way for agricultural improvement.

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Search for lost Bishop's Palace

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