Watching Brief

Date 25 July 2003

Event ID 1034321

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1034321

Under the terms of its P.I.C. call-out contract with Historic Scotland, Kirkdale Archaeology was asked to undertake archaeological monitoring at Hailes Castle while a series of nine shallow pits were excavated for a new safety rail. The pits were roughly 350mm square and were dug to a maximum depth of 300mm. They were dug at regular intervals of approximately 1m along the S side of the S wall of the ‘storage cellar.’ The latter is part of an E range abutting the hall, and survives as a basement, built into a bedrock terrace overlooking the river to the N of the castle. Immediately to the S of the storage cellar, bedrock is visible, and defines the building platform for structures in the E courtyard area. The new fence is intended to provide a barrier between the courtyard/ bedrock head area, and the floor of the storage cellar, some 3m below.

Pits 1-7 all show how the bedrock at the top of the S bank of the river has been exploited to define the E courtyard surface and building platform. The naturally stepped or terraced slope down to the river’s edge has in turn been exploited as the undercroft level of a series of chambers within a secondary E range coming off the E side of the early hall.

With the exception of Pits 4-7, sensitive deposits were exposed. These comprised infill (between wall (F001) and bedrock) and masonry - including the S face of wall (F001) and the top step of the Watergate stair.

The broken and mixed rubble deposit seen in Pits 4-7 appear to be results of recent repairs.

G Ewart 2003

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology