Watching Brief

Date 20 September 2001 - 2 October 2001

Event ID 1032212

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1032212

NJ 189 672 A watching brief was undertaken in October 2001 during the excavation of two small test pits at Duffus Castle. The castle is a stone-built 14th-century keep, sitting on top of a mound which is thought to represent the remains of a 12th-century timber and earth motte and bailey castle. The 14th-century castle is in a poor state of repair, with most of the N wall, and the N end of the W wall, collapsed and falling down the side of the 12th-century motte. A recently restored landslide on the W side of the mound indicates the still unstable nature of the site.

Although the areas excavated were very small, they did demonstrate the below-ground extent of at least the W wall, as well as indicating that an electricity cable running along the inside face of the W wall is likely to have disturbed any archaeological deposits in this area. The highly plastic nature of the clay encountered (quite possibly redeposited topsoil from the immediate area) is likely to have contributed to the instability of the site.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

G Ewart and D Stewart 2002

Kirkdale Archaeology