Excavation

Date 10 December 2001 - 25 January 2002

Event ID 1032223

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1032223

Kirkdale Archaeology was asked to undertake excavations within one of the upper vaults beneath the W end of the Palace and Crown Square. This was to investigate any archaeological deposits which may have been disturbed by the relaying of the floor and conversion of the room for use as an educational centre. Deposits were dug to a prescribed depth, and the vault was not emptied. The room is accessed from the Devil’s Elbow, through the second door along from the W end of the walkway.

There is some circumstantial evidence that the vault originally had a paved stone floor with a drain leading from the door out to the walkway, and presumably thence over the cliff to the S.

But for these fragmentary remains, all the deposits investigated were of probable18th century or later date. During the 18th century the room may, for a time, have had an uneven dirt floor but seems at some point to have been given a wooden floor, while the hearth was repaired with brick paving, the window was possibly destroyed or repaired (or both) and the walls were possibly whitewashed.

During the 19th century the floor was raised and levelled with a large amount of dust and rubble, covering all of the earlier features. It may at this point have been partitioned, just to the S of the internal doorway with S half used as a barrack room and the N half possibly serving some other function.

The final phase of activity was the laying of the wooden floor, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century at which point the room appears to have been undivided.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

G Ewart 2002

Kirkdale Archaeology