E19 Roof slate

Object Nameslate

Mediumslate

ClassificationsArchaeology Excavated

LocationView by Appointment

Object numberABDMS066526

About MeThis is a roof slate from the excavations at the Aberdeen Carmelite friary in 1980-1. It is probable that this building had a slate roof.

The slates were hung directly over the rafters and were supported either by wooden or iron pegs. Some of these examples have iron staining around the hole. Each course of tiles was sealed to the underlying course with a strip of mortar.

The stone derives from the Angus area and this type of slate was used until the 18th and 19th centuries in this area. Presumably a quarry or quarries were well-known in the Forfar area as a source for roofing material during the medieval period.