View of chamber at junction of Mine and Countermine with opening between, St Andrews Castle

Description View of chamber at junction of Mine and Countermine with opening between, St Andrews Castle

Date c. 1926

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 374869

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of F 450

Scope and Content Break-through of counter-mine into mine, St Andrews Castle, Fife St Andrews Castle, the seat of the bishop of St Andrews, was destroyed during the Wars of Independence and rebuilt in its present form by Bishop Traill (1385-1401). It was besieged in 1546-7 after Protestants assassinated Cardinal Beaton. This is where the defenders broke into the mine and drove off the miners. Given the small size of the hole, the 2m drop, and the need to avoid losing men, they probably did this with gunpowder. Combat at the junction of a mine and counter-mine was a classic feature of important medieval sieges. However, by the 16th-century, gunpowder would have given each side the option of using grenades and demolition charges to clear the opposing tunnels. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference Inv. fig. 419

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/374869

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap