This thesis examines the role and work of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland from a geographical perspective in the period 1908 – c.1975, with especial reference to the historical geographies behind the production of the national inventory of Scotland’s ancient and historic built monuments. The thesis examines the sites of practice where the Commission produced the national inventory to explore the doing of the inventory. Fieldwork is a central concern of the thesis. Attention is paid to the spatial aspects of Commission’s work both in the field “out there” and in the office “in here”. The thesis discusses the methods and technologies which fostered the development of fieldwork practices rooted in the office and in the field. The Commission was always ‘doing fieldwork’ and this thesis brings into focus the relationship between the different spaces and places where the Commission undertook what might be labelled as work in the field. The thesis is comprised of nine chapters. An introduction and literature review are followed by an examination of the history of antiquarianism relevant to the establishment of the Commission. A further two chapters provide an overview of the Commission’s history, arranged chronologically, and its archive, understood in relation to relevant archival theory. Three chapters consider the development of the Commission with particular attention paid to fieldwork techniques and methods, the development of rescue archaeology, and the associated technologies which facilitated the Commission’s work within a rescue paradigm before turning, finally, to examine the Commission’s database, Canmore. Examining the Commission in this manner has drawn attention to the ways in which geographers and others conceive of fieldwork and how the development of the Commission was inherently linked to ways of doing work in the field. Through examining the history and geography of the Commission’s work the concern of this thesis is to study how ‘antiquarian research’ was carried out in the field “in here” and “out there” simultaneously. The thesis suggests that narrow definitions of fieldwork overlook the nuances of how ancient Scotland was revealed through suites of different practice. The thesis argues that more fine-grained approaches to understanding the how of the doing of fieldwork might lead to reconceptualisation of the place of work in the field, recognising that different practices helped constitute both ancient and historical Scotland as the object of the Commission’s work and the Commission itself.

Within a context of recent and rapid transformation in authorship and participation practices on the Internet, this thesis explores the implications of an emerging digital culture for heritage institutions, such as museums and archives. Combining insights from internet, education and museum theory it explores different experiences of participation and meaning making around digital heritage collections opened to public engagement and contribution. In particular, the investigation analyses and contrasts the online activities of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), partner in the research, with alternative approaches. The thesis applies ethnographic research methods to investigate embodied and virtual settings. Based on the empirical findings, it identifies different theoretical models of online engagement with heritage content. It then extrapolates from these models a conceptual framework that could be used by heritage institutions to analyse and re-assess their online practices, intellectual positioning and strategic ambitions in the context of the paradigm shift brought about by digitality.

Variably dolomitized limestone samples from the Rundle Group in Western Alberta, Canada were deformed under a variety of confining pressures and at room temperature in a triaxial rock press. The aim of this research is to establish the mechanical behaviour and brittle constitutive laws of limestone and dolomite composites. This data can then be used to develop strength profiles of thrust faults in the Rocky Mountain Fold and Thrust Belt. For example, many of the thrust faults in the Canadian Foreland are composed of limestone–dolomite composites, yet the mechanical properties of these composites remain unknown. Sample protoliths were selected for their similar grain sizes and grain size distributions, low porosity and low silica content in order to best examine relationships between these parameters and the distribution of strain between the dolomite and calcite. This study shows that increasing dolomite content correlates to an increase in strength at low and medium confining pressures. At high confining pressures, distributed brittle deformation adds complexities that are attributed to textural controls. Microstructural analysis of deformed samples shows that at approximately thirty to forty-five weight percent dolomite is interconnected via a dolomite grain network that provides a load-bearing capacity to the dolomite. This load-bearing capacity correlates to dramatic jumps in the strength of dolomite–limestone composites observed with increasing confining pressures. Inherent weaknesses in calcite grains such as twin planes and cleavage intersections are exploited by fractures resulting in reduced peak strengths of calcite-rich composites. Calcite generally absorbs strain and distributes it into finer spaced fracture networks than in dolomite. In dolomitized rock that still contains calcite cleavage within dolomite is not exploited, rather transgranular cracks break dolomite down into irregular and angular particles. At near pure dolomite content and at high confining pressure dolomite will fracture and disaggregate along cleavage. Comminuted dolomite grains commonly show a larger distribution of sizes and have more irregular shapes than contiguous comminuted calcite grains. Comminuted calcite particles are commonly much smaller than comminuted dolomite grains and show more regular shapes and an even grain size distribution.

This study used a comparison of one hundred and forty-eight historical (1888-1913) and current (2008-2014) oblique photographs from thirty-two stations to identify land cover changes that have occurred in portions of the Bow and Elbow valleys as well as surrounding Kananaskis Country region. Implications of these changes for flooding and flood management were explored. Forest cover was found to have drastically increased over the past century, particularly in the Bow valley, as did areas of direct human development. In the same time period, grasslands increased in the Elbow valley but decreased in the Bow, while regenerating areas decreased uniformly throughout both valleys. An analysis of pre (2008)-and-post (2014) flood conditions demonstrated no change in coniferous forest cover in both valleys over the 6-year period, but uncovered a decline of 20% in the Elbow and 3% in the Bow in the broadleaf/mixedwood category. The Elbow’s channel zone was larger in 2014 compared to 2008, whereas the extent of the Bow’s channel zone remained constant. However, both the Bow and Elbow’s bare exposed bars increased substantially, most likely as a result of the 2013 flood. The major source of water flows that contributed to the 2013 flood event originated in high elevation rock and scree areas, which, unlike floodplains, are elements of the watershed that cannot be manipulated over time. It is now recognized that forest cover should act as a buffer to floods. Nevertheless, the 2013 flood event occurred despite the massive buffering effect of a huge increase in older forest stands across the study area. The final discussion includes recommendations for improving flood management in the area. / Graduate / 0329, 0768, 0478 / tanya.taggarthodge@gmail.com