Excavation

Date December 2019 - October 2020

Event ID 1124736

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1124736

NS 5170 3777 Since December 2019, Mr Coxhead has continued to undertake investigation of the small-scale excavation areas he has previously opened up and been working on (2017 to date) on the north-eastern part of the Loudoun Castle site, with the continued support (remotely) of Archaeology Scotland, through their Adopt-a-Monument (AaM) project. Any larger-scale excavation project work, which had hopefully been due to take place in 2020, has been postponed due to Covid-19.

Previous excavation work included the excavation of four testpits (TP1–4), and two larger rectangular strip trenches across the alignment of an upstanding section of substantial bank (BTN and BTS). Mr Coxhead’s work over the past year has comprised small extensions and re-examining and recording of testpits 2–4, and a small extension to the BTN trench across part of an upstanding bank. The small extensions, no more 1m in width, have been excavated in order to better expose, further investigate and elucidate, the potential buried structural features already identified in these locations.

The TP2 extension confirmed the presence of a substantial wall, at least 1m in thickness, perhaps with a corner/return present within the testpit. An earlier structural phase was also identified, possible flagging for a floor or another wall, underlying a deposit of smaller rubble stones abutted the substantial wall. Also identified were two possible postholes set into a compacted clay, with some iron hammer scale recovered from the clay surface around the stones.

The TP3 extension identified a possible posthole with packing stones, further evidence for a compacted clay floor and a drystone wall.

The TP4 extension suggests that there do appear to be two walls or a wall and flooring, representing different structural phases, the earlier of which is associated with a series of small post or stakeholes. It is not clear now if this earlier structural feature does align with the substantial wall previously encountered in BTN trench.

Within the BTN trench extension, further evidence of the substantial wall previously encountered was identified, suggesting that it is deeper than first supposed and does have a wall foundation cut associated with it. Potentially two cuts have now been identified within the BTN trench; of which one may relate to the wall construction.

Further excavation and survey at the site is planned as part of a wider project.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: Archaeology Scotland; Historic Environment Scotland

Héléna Gray and Mac Coxhead

(Source: DES Vol 21)