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Excavation

Date 12 April 1993 - 12 July 1993

Event ID 1084867

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1084867

A 1m wide and 7m long sondage was excavated inside the castle along the S wall during two-week long excavations in 1993 (April and July). The purpose of the excavations was to allow services access.

2m of stratified deposits were examined and indiacte four main phases - IV: abandonment and collapse; III: occupation (15th - 16th century); II: rebuilding, and I: 14th-century occupation.

Phase I: Consists of a 20cm-deep organic/occupation deposit containing iron objects, animal bone and a considerable quantity of pottery provisionally dated to the 14th century on the basis of sherds of imported saintonge ware (1280-1300). This occupation deposit sits directly on bedrock which has been quarried, not very successfully, to an uneven surface. This surface is drained by two drains through the S wall. The foundations of the castle walls consist of a stepped platform and the stepped ledge against the W wall was probably also utilised as the base for a timber 'A'frame associated with phase I. It is clear that the basement was sub-divided from the earliest occupation and a N to S wall splits the basement into two distinct areas, 4m and 3m wide. Only the western room was excavated to bedrock. It is suspected that a lower room is to be found in the SE corner of the tower.

A centrally placed post pad against the S wall and directly beneath a beam slot at first-floor level is a feature of the original construction of the castle which continued in use after the re-building phase (II). While phase I may represent the construction phase of the castle the depth and richness of the deposit suggest occupation.

Phase II: A dump c50cm deep on average, of building materials. A layer of sterile clay was deposited on the phase I occupation deposit and then substantial dressed and mortared stones dumped. The quality of the stonework and presence of joining and mortared blocks suggests renovation and rebuilding. This deposit fills the basement up to the level of the ebam slots in the S wall suggesting that these beam slots - four in total - are indicative of the second occupation phase (II) although they may also have been in use with the pahse I occupation.

Phase III: A predominantly gravel layer containing many lenses and evidence of resurfacing. This occupation surface extends the full width of the tower (phase I only seen in W room) with the activity apparently concentrated in the E and rubbisd thrown away to the W. This occupation phase is rich in artefacts with considerable quantities of pottery and bone. Two French imported vessels dating to the mid-16th century, a late 15th-century Nuremburg jeton and a finely decorated 15th-century knife handle suggest this occupation phase lasted throughout the later 15th century and 16th century.

A substantial hearth is located under the window in the E corner of the tower which had a piece of copper-coated iron pipe and burnt-out barrel associated with it. The discovery on the associated floor a short distance away of a very fine copper still 'worm' suggests these are the remanants of a still.

Phase IV: Abandonment and collapse of the castle which has been truncated by Victorian rubble clearance.

Excavations were also conducted in the ground floor entrance passage and some rubble was removed from the trench at the N wall, excavated in 1992 by AOC (Scotland) Ltd.

Entrance passage 2m by 1.10m. Considerable Victorian disturbance to these deposits. The bedrock had been levelled up with mortar infilling. Three steps led up into the castle; they have been robbed away and only their mortar and stone footings remain.

North wall trench: Removal of massive mortar bonded rubble blocking revealed garde-robe chamber in NW wall.

F Baker 1993

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

This archive was passed on to Kirkdale Archaeology and has been archived with HES as part of that project.

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