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Archaeology Notes
Event ID 714355
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/714355
NT27SE 1.11 25206 73458
David's Tower (NR) (Remains of).
OS
David's Tower, now a ruin, commanded the approaches on the east side of the castle - contemporary record states it to have been about 60ft high. The original building plan was "L" shaped; later the plan was made square. The main part of the original building has been greatly lowered and only the remains of a vaulted chamber under the Hall is now to be seen. The pointed arches of the window recesses belong to late 14th century.
J S Richardson and M Wood 1948.
RCAHMS (1951) give similar information as in the official guide.
Visited by OS(JLD) 22 October 1953.
(NT 2521 7345) As described above
Visited by OS(JLD) 29 December 1953.
Areas A and B. David's Tower. Re-excavation of proposed Barbican area revealed evidence of a primary, mid 14th century vaulted forework, and exposed an extremely worn, stepped path within the barbican leading to the inner door. The east end of the south Barbican was sealed by a wall built in the mid 15th century forming part of the modified structure which transformed the Barbican into accommodation, filling the re-entrant angle of the L-plan tower house.
Area C outwith the north wall of David's Tower, below and just west of the 1544 gun casemate. A short stretch of a broad wall footing was revealed aligned NNE SSE, sealed and destroyed by the construction of David's Tower. This could be a 13th-14th century fragment of curtain wall.
P Yeoman, 1988a
NT 2521 7346 David's Tower. A small, deep, stone-lined pit in the 'entrance hall of David's Tower was cleared out in January 2003. The pit and surrounding walls were recorded. Due to an excavation in 1912, very little earlier fill survived in the pit. No new evidence for the pit's function was found and a defensive interpretation still seems most likely. Rock-cut drains at the base suggested these were cut while the area was exposed to the elements. Evidence was found for a complex series of alterations to the room, including the raising of the floor, thickening of some of the walls, and addition of doorways.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: HS
G Ewart 2003
