Our rich cultural past
Evidence shows that there has been human activity on the site of Murton Nature reserve for 1000s of years. The fertile land, relatively gentle climate and proximity to the sea, combined to appeal to the early inhabitants of the country and the site itself has revealed 3 Bronze Age cists.
Dated from around 4000 years ago these burial chambers separately contained the remains of a young woman, a child and an unsexed adult. Nearby Pictish carved stones, including the Aberlemno stone, show that the Picts had a strong presence in the area around 1700 years ago. The earliest foundations of the neighbouring Restenneth Priory are also thought to stem from this period.
Up until the 18th century the area around the present day reserve would have looked very different. It is located near the source of the Lunan water and would probably have been predominantly marshland. Mills were very important at that time for the processing of crops, particularly flax, allowing the draining of some land into millponds and irrigation channels elsewhere. Finally the draining of neighbouring Restenneth moss and loch to raise cash from the selling of lake bed marl, an agricultural manure, meant the land could be developed into farmland.
