Excavation

Date October 2019

Event ID 1106354

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1106354

NR 86770 68730 An excavation was carried out at Tarbert Castle (Canmore ID: 39316), in October 2019.

The excavation provided some evidence of occupation of the Tarbert Castle ridge prior to the construction of the castle. Well preserved medieval occupation deposits and structures were shown to exist both within the inner and outer bailey of the castle and the work has also demonstrated that the walls of the inner bailey are later than those of the outer bailey, countering the previously understood construction sequence of the castle. The excavation work also confirmed the existence of a major southern entrance to the castle complex in the form of a portcullis gate and also shed light on the tower structure at the south west of the outer bailey.

Part of a medieval structure along with other medieval deposits were uncovered along the ridge to the SE of the castle complex and these may relate to the medieval burgh established at Tarbert, probably sometime in the 1320s. The work has shown that the castle, from at least the 17th century, was utilised by later settlement structures while much of the surrounding ground was used as fields for much of the post medieval period.

Archive: Tarbert Castle Trust

Funder: Tarbert Castle Trust

Roderick Regan - Kilmartin Museum

(Source: DES Vol 20)