Watching Brief
Date 21 January 2003
Event ID 1034308
Category Recording
Type Watching Brief
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1034308
The work at Crichton Castle consisted of the archaeological monitoring of contractors during the removal of turf and top soil from a long strip of grassland along the E and S sides of the castle. The purpose of the excavations was to prepare the ground for a whin dust road and hard standing to create an access for service vehicles. The work would involve stripping away surface deposits from three areas: 22m of overgrown track to the E of the castle; a flat area near the SE corner of the castle, 20m in length; and a final 15m strip N from the flat area. Excavations totalled 57m in length, ranging in width from 2.50m to 7.00m with an expected depth of between 150 and 200mm. There were no previous records of archaeological material in these areas.
The present excavations which cover an area of approximately 180 sq m have only removed the turf and topsoil with the obvious result that existing features and structures may well still be blanketed by debris and levelling layers.
The presence of structures in the zone 20m from the E side of the castle has yet to be proven and will require deeper excavation than that carried out during the present works.
G Ewart 2003
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
Kirkdale Archaeology