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10. Conclusions by Judith Stones

10.1 Introduction

The research reported on here has substantially added to our knowledge and understanding of the Carmelites in Aberdeen, as well as the wider community of Carmelites in Scotland and of the history of Aberdeen itself. This section summarises the main findings and looks onward to explore some themes which warrant further discussion. These are: the nature, layout, function and development of the friary buildings themselves; the issue of the revenues of the friaries and the Reformation and post-Reformation history of the site and community of Aberdeen's Whitefriars.

3D fly-through model of the Carmelite Friary, Aberdeen. The model was commissioned by the authors and created in 2002 by PinkZeppelin. The model is based on excavation and historical research and is dated to the period c.1450. The video has no sound.

The campaigns of excavation, and the associated historical research, have added considerably to our understanding of the appearance, use and layout of Aberdeen's Carmelite Friary, which in turn has added to our expanding range of evidence about the history and archaeology of the mendicant orders in Scotland.

For the nature of the area around the Aberdeen friary we rely largely on good documentary evidence. In short it shows an area that was very much administratively part of the Royal Burgh, although physically it lay outside the burgh's ports (or gates). By the time the friary was established in the late 13th century, there were a number of property divisions within this area and by the time of the date as depicted in the 3D model (mid-15th century), the evidence clearly shows a very highly developed area, with a number of property divisions. The area immediately to the north of the friary was split between two burgage plots with a vennel allowing access from the Green proper to the friary.


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