Monastic Scotland: History and Archaeology
Applications for this course are now open. The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday 31 March 2026.
6 June - 4 July 2026
Unearth Scotland’s medieval past through history, archaeology, and hands-on discovery.
This unique field course offers students the opportunity to explore the history of medieval Scotland first-hand. In addition to classroom-based study of the history of medieval monasticism in Scotland, students will gain extensive hands-on training and experience in field excavation, lab-based bioarcheology, archival work, and cultural heritage management.
Thanks to an exciting partnership, now in its third year, between the University of St Andrews and Lindores Abbey Distillery, students will actively participate in excavations at Lindores Abbey, a twelfth-century monastery with a tradition of distilling on the site dating back to the fifteenth century.
The excavations are designed to examine the relationship between the abbey and its landscape, and particularly its relationship with and use of water. Investigations will include both the wider landscape of the abbey and the development of waterways, including the nearby River Tay and Loch of Lindores, and the use of water within the monastic precinct itself. Previous excursions have included visits to Arbroath Abbey, Restenneth Priory, and the Isle of May (including St Ethernan’s monastery ruins).
No prior excavation experience is required - work alongside expert archaeologists and historians to uncover Scotland’s medieval past firsthand.
The feeling of finding something from the Middle Ages with your own hands is incredible. That moment was the highlight of the dig for me. My time studying at St Andrews and digging at Lindores Abbey was an experience I would repeat in a heartbeat.
Shawn - Monastic Scotland: History and Archaeology
Read more from students who have shared their St Andrews Summer Study experiences on our blog!
