Description

The monument comprises the remains of 'The Moat Pit' - a moated coal shaft, dating from the 16th to 17th centuries.  It survives as the base courses of a round sandstone tower (a moat) with a blocked mine shaft at its centre with a surrounding spread of tumbled stone. Together these remains stand approximately 1.5m high and about 15m wide. It is located in the intertidal zone of the Firth of Forth, approximately 400m south of the shoreline at Culross. 

The moat comprises three concentric dry stone ashlar walls separated by voids filled with puddled clay, timber lining, and tumbled stone centered on a mine shaft, now filled with sediment and rubble, 4.2m in diameter. Together these measure about  15.5m in diameter. The inner wall measures 0.9m wide, stands several courses high and is double skinned with tie stones. Between this and the middle wall is layer of puddled clay 1.1m wide. The inside of the middle wall is lined with timber boards. The gap between the middle and outer wall is roughly 2m wide and filled with tumbled stone. Along the southern outside edge 10 wooden posts have been built into this wall. Surrounding the moat is a spread of tumbled stones ranging from 1m to 3m wide. Construction of the moat began in 1590 and when completed it would have stood around 5m above the surface of the water at high tide and may have been up to 10m high. The moat pit was is use until 1625 when it was flooded during a severe storm which ceased its operations. 

The scheduled area is circular with a diameter of 50m. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The national importance of the monument is demonstrated in the following way(s) (see Designations Policy and Selection Guidance, Annex 1, para 17):a.  The monument is of national importance because it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past, as the remains of a moated coal shaft dating from the 16th to 17th centuries. In particular it contributes to our understanding of Scotland's early industrialisation, with coal mining becoming a significant industry and driver of further industrialisation.  b.   The monument retains structural, architectural, decorative or other physical attributes which make a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past. In particular, the surviving basal courses of three concentric drystone walls, with evidence of waterproofing and masons' marks. The surviving elements help us understand the technological developments of early coal mining in Scotland. c.   The monument is a rare example of a moated mine shaft dating from the 16th to 17th centuries.d.   The monument is a particularly good example of a moated mine shaft dating from the 16th to 17th centuries and is therefore an important representative of this monument type. 

e.   The monument has research potential which could significantly contribute to our understanding or appreciation of the past. In particular, the basal courses of the moat survive which help us to better understand its construction. There is the potential to further research the influence the moat pit had on Scottish mining more widely. f.   The monument makes a significant contribution to today's landscape and our understanding of the historic landscape. The monument is visible from the shore and can tell us of the contemporary understanding of local geology and exploitation of natural resources. The moat pit sits within a landscape with a long history of mineral exploitation and the rewards of that exploitation such as nearby Culross Palace.

g.  The monument has significant associations with historical, traditional, social or artistic figures, events or movements. In particular Sir George Bruce of Carnock, King James VI of Scotland. The monument can help us to better understand the living and working conditions of colliers, coal-bearers and salters in post medieval Scotland.

Assessment of Cultural Significance

This statement of national importance has been informed by the following assessment of cultural significance:

Intrinsic characteristics (how the remains of a site or place contribute to our knowledge of the past)

The monument comprises the remains of 'The Moat Pit' - a moated coal shaft, dating from the late 16th  to early 17th  centuries.  Moated mine entrances are stone towers designed to stand above the surface of the water at high tide. These structures were necessary to extract 'sea coal' from a previously inaccessible stretch of the Jenny Pate (Upper Hirst) coal seam which ran under the Firth of Forth. They also provided a vital source of ventilation. Construction on this example is thought to have begun in 1590. It provided access to a tunnel or 'road' at a depth of 12m, which ran for approximately a mile under the sea before connecting with a landward shaft - the Waterdie pit. From this head height tunnel multiple smaller passages branched where miners worked to extract the coal. 

The mine did not exist in isolation but had a predecessor – St Mungo's pit, paired with the Nun's pit. Further moat pits are also known at Valleyfield which was paired with the landward Patie's pit and Strandburn Pit linked to Garden (Gordon) Pit. The 'Moat Pit' is also known to have worked in tandem with 'an Egyptian Wheel' - a type of pump to drain the mines driven by horse and water power. It consisted of a chain of rotating buckets descending and returning with collected water. This was a major technological advancement which allowed mines to be continuously drained preventing flooding. The Egyptian Wheel is described by contemporary poet John Taylor and was located close to land on the foreshore and was also moated, though its exact location remains unproven for the time being. The Moat Pit was also described by poet Ben Jonson. 

The moat pit now survives as the base courses of a round sandstone tower containing a blocked mine shaft with a surrounding spread of tumbled stone from the collapsed tower. Archaeological investigation of the 'Moat Pit' has identified that its construction was carefully considered to prevent water ingress. The moat comprised three concentric dry stone walls separated by voids filled with puddled clay, timber lining, and tumbled stone centered on a mine shaft. Along the southern edge of the outside wall 10 wooden posts were identified and these may have been to give further support to the structure due to the uneven nature of the bedrock foundation. Six of these posts are fully exposed and may have been mooring posts. Masons' marks have also been identified on blocks comprising the inner wall. No mortar appears to have been used in the moat's construction however English poet John Taylor describes in his account of 1618 that the wall was "a round circular frame of stone, very thick, strong, and joined together with glutinous or bituminous matter.” This may refer to a bonding substance that has since eroded away or the puddled clay layer between the inner and middle walls. 

Contextual characteristics (how a site or place relates to its surroundings and/or to our existing knowledge of the past)The Moat Pit was an integral part of a significant mining enterprise operated by Sir George Bruce in the Culross area. This demonstrated a marked advancement of the Scottish coal mining industry in terms of design, technique, technology, scale and economic viability. Bruce is likely to have had knowledge of the technology through the influential treatise on mining 'De Re Metallica' (On the Nature of Metals) by Georgius Agricola (1556) and through his travels in Continental Europe.During the medieval period much of Scotland's coal mining activity was carried out by monastic houses, particularly Newbattle, Dunfermline and Culross. This early mining had changed remarkably little since prehistory. Mineral outcrops were identified on the surface and quarried away. When the coal seam dipped underground it was followed using an angled tunnel or a vertical bell pit until problems of ventilation, flooding and collapse made the mine unworkable. 

In 1575 George Bruce, recognized for his engineering knowledge, was granted a lease to restart coal mining in Culross by his cousin, the Commendator of Culross Abbey. Bruce would implement several strategies to restart these works including the construction of moated mine entrances in the intertidal zones which provided access and ventilation to the coal seems beneath the river forth, paired with an entrance shaft on land and a drainage shaft and draining machinery. Bruce's activities are believed to be the first known use of such moated entrances in Britain; the Moat Pit in particular being described as "a wonder” by the English poet, John Taylor who visited the mine in 1618. 

The mine exported larger 'Great Coal' to England, Germany, and the 'Low Countries'. The coal mining activity was also integral to the local economy as it provided the fuel in the form of smaller 'pan coal' for extracting salt from sea water as well as the working of iron. Iron work was also integral to the equipment used to produce salt. 

This significant enterprise of integrated industries spurred the wider development of Culross and with the proceeds Sir George Bruce was able to construct the Culross Palace (scheduled monument SM5288) completed in 1611.The technology used at the Moat Pit, including horse powered drainage, would continue to be used in other pits in Culross after the flooding of 1625. Later evidence of salt production in Culross, dating to the early 19th century can be seen with Preston Island, Artificial Island, Coal Mines, Saltpans and Housing (scheduled monument SM5079).

Associative characteristics (how a site or place relates to people, events, and/or historic and social movements)

The moat was built for and designed by Sir George Bruce of Carnock (born c.1550, died 1625). Knighted in 1610, he was a merchant, engineer, from 1593 member of Scottish Parliament and Privy Councillor. Bruce advocated that Culross become a royal burgh which it successfully did in 1592. Bruce was held in high regard by King James VI of Scotland who in 1606 granted "our beloved George Bruce, joint tenant of Gellats, and any of his heirs and assignees, in heritage, whole and complete the lands and barony of Carnock.” 

This same year would see the ratification of The Colliers and Salters Act. This act bound colliers, coal-bearers and salters to their current master, being unable to leave without express permission. Those who left could be punished as thieves, any new employers could be fined up to £100 (Scots) (approximately £1,075 today) and the homeless and itinerant, described as vagabonds and sturdy beggars, could be captured and put to work. This act would be used to increasing curtail the rights of such workers until they were freed by the Colliers (Scotland) Act 1799.  At his death in 1625, Bruce was the master of forty-four salt pans, and an employer over 1000 people, including mine workers and salters. He would have benefited from the legislation which established a system of bonded servitude for such workers. 

James VI visited the moat pit in 1617, entering from a coal shaft on land he walked through the connecting tunnel emerging at the moat surrounded by water. There are also valuable eyewitness accounts of the moat pit during its time of operation from two contemporary poets in 1618 - John Taylor the 'Water Poet' and Ben Jonson. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 48064 (accessed on 05/11/2024).

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Adamson, D. and Yates, R. 'The Moat Pit Re-Visited: The Coal Mining Enterprise of the Bruce Family in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries in Culross, Fife.' Scottish Archaeological Journal Volume 45, Issue 1, 2025, 1–36.

Brown K.M. et al eds (2007-2024). The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707,. James VI: Translation,1605, 7 June, Edinburgh/Perth, Parliament, Parliamentary Register, Perth, 9 July 1606, Legislation [1605/6/39.] St Andrews. (Available at https://www.rps.ac.uk/search.php?action=fetch_index_‌frame&fn=jamesvi_trans&id=12065&query=%28Colliers+and+Salters%29&type=trans&variants=&google=) (Accessed on 21/11/2024).

Brown K.M. et al eds (2007-2024). The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707,. James VI: Translation, 1605, 7 June, Edinburgh/Perth, Parliament, Parliamentary Register, Perth, 9 July 1606, Legislation: private acts [1605/6/112]. St Andrews. (Available at https://www.rps.ac.uk/search.php?action=‌print&id=12141&filename=jamesvi_trans&type=trans) (Accessed on 21/11/2024).

Matthews, A. and Williamson, C. (2009). Moat Pit, Culross, Fife: Archaeological Survey, Report. United Kingdom: Rathmell Archaeology Ltd. (Available at https://doi.org/10.5284/1021243) (Accessed on 14/11/2024).

Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame "George Bruce” (Available at https://engineeringhalloffame.org/profile/george-bruce) (Accessed on 21/11/2024).

Taylor, J. 1580-1653. Hindley, C. 1893. Works of John Taylor, the water-poet. London: Reeves and Turner (Available at https://archive.org/details/worksofjohntaylo00tayl/page/n97/‌‌‌ mode‌/2up?q=Culross) (Accessed on 14/11/2024).

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/48064/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland