Archaeological Excavations at Castle Sween, Knapdale, Argyll & Bute, 1989-90
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Proc Soc Antiq Scot, (1996)6 12 , 517-557 Archaeological excavation t Castlsa e Sween, Knapdale, Argyll & Bute, 1989-90 Gordon Ewart Triscottn Jo *& t with contributions by N M McQ Holmes, D Caldwell, H Stewart, F McCormick, T Holden & C Mills ABSTRACT Excavations Castleat Sween, Argyllin Bute,& have thrown castle of the history use lightthe on and from construction,s it presente 7200c th o t , day. forge A kilnsd evidencee an ar of industrial activity prior 1650.to Evidence rangesfor of buildings within courtyardthe amplifies previous descriptions castle. ofthe excavations The were funded Historicby Scotland (formerly SDD-HBM) alsowho supplied granta towards publicationthe costs. INTRODUCTION Castle Sween, a ruin in the care of Historic Scotland, stands on a low hill overlooking an inlet, Loch Sween, on the west side of Knapdale (NGR: NR 712 788, illus 1-3). Its history and architectural development have recently been reviewed thoroughl RCAHMe th y b y S (1992, 245-59) castle Th . e s theri e demonstrate havo dt e five major building phases datin c 1200 o earle gt th , y 13th century, c 1300 15te th ,h century 16th-17te th d an , h centur core y (illueTh . wor 120c 3) s f ko 0 consista f so small quadrilateral enclosure castle. A rectangular wing was added to its west face in the early 13th century. This win s rebuilgwa t abou t circulaa 1300 d an , r tower with latrinee grounth n o sd floor north-ease th o buils t n wa o t t enclosurcornee th 15te f o rth hn i ecentury l thesAl . e structures survive well, with walls standin a considerable o gt f incompleti , e height. Ther s alsi e o evidence th r fo e former existenc f easwesd eo an t t ranges withi enclosuree nth . The Castle Hill (illus 2) is a rocky, stepped outcrop, which itself comprises the interface between two distinctive rocks: hornblende schist and calcareous phyllite. The numerous bays and inlets alon e westh g t coas f Loco t h Sween feature natural terraces, those around Castle Sween offering extensive scope for occupation, be it settlement or cultivation. Today the tiered ranks of caravans adjacent to the castle pay testament to the continued attractions of this spot. There is, however, no upstanding evidence of contemporary structures outwith the castle walls. e townshiTh f Castlpo e Swee recordes ni 1693n di , whe t possesseni d five tenantn i milla d d an ,s an 1685 Neil McNeill of Castle Sween is recorded as having been robbed of cattle to the value of £33 (Eraser 1964, 51). Pieces of millstones have been recovered from 14th-century contexts within the reasonabls i t castlei d an ,assum o et e tha mils thea t existencn wa nli easte burw e th th no ,o nt n o e silte overgrownd dan . * Kirkdale Archaeology Wester4 , n Terace, Edinburgh EH1F 25Q t 13A Lamer Street, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1HJ 518 I SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1996 CASTLE SWEEN AND ENVIRONS. ILLU 1 S Location Map. Ordnance(Basede th n o CrownSurvey© p ma Copyright) The castle dominates the entrance to Loch Sween, and conceivably it formed part of a network of strategic seaboard fortresses, under the sway of the MacSweens, maintaining control of important sea lanes, from Kintyre to the mainland. Its immediate importance as a maritime centre was enhanced s proximitbyit gentla o yt y shelving sandy shore, suitablbeachine th r e fo f galleysgo naturaA . l inlet, artificially improve foro dt msmala l harbour f indeterminato s i , e date, althoug likels i t hi o yt have been in use until relatively recently. There is no reason to doubt that it would have been exploited during the occupation of the castle, its proximity to the west tower probably allowing the hoisting of material from a boat at high tide. A crude breakwater has been constructed at some stage anpresence dth quantita f eo f bloomeryo y slag (use ballasts da ) amongs shingle th tsugges y ema t the presence of boats in more recent times. castle Th e take nams sit e from Suibhne ancestoe th MacSweens,e th f o r lat e liveo th e n wh d,i 12tearld han y 13th century Suibhnd an , e supposee himselb y ma fhav o dt e bee buildee e nth th f o r enclosure castle. Sometime in the second half of the 13th century, Knapdale passed into the posses- sion of the Stewart Earls of Menteith and, although the details remain obscure, MacSween influence declined as the power of the Stewarts was extended in the area. Sir John Menteith held Castle Sween in 1310, when Edward II of England granted John MacSween and his brothers their ancestral lands of Knapdale. This may have led to the 'tryst of a fleet against Castle Sween' recorded in a poem in the Book of the Dean of Lismore, which in turn probably resulted in the alterations to the castle at its north-west corner. Afte r Johe deatSi th rnf ho Menteit n 132hi e Lordshi3th f Arrapo d an n Knapdale passed successively to his son and grandson. In 1376, half of Knapdale, including the castle addepossessions e th wa , o dt MacDonale th f o s d Islese Lordth f , o sgrante Robery db o t I I t his son-in-law (John I, Lord of the Isles). After the first forfeiture of John II, Lord of the Isles in 1475, the castle was given into the custody of the Earls of Argyll and it remained with the Campbells until recent times. The castle is thought to have been captured and burnt by Alasdair MacColla (Montrose's lieutenant 164n i ) 7 (RCAHMS 1992, 259). EWART & TRISCOTT: CASTLE SWEEN, KNAPDALE, ARGYLL & BUTE 519 ILLUS 2 View of Castle Sween from the north-west THE EXCAVATIONS e excavationTh s were undertake conjunction ni n wit majoha r programm f consolidatioeo n which began in the mid-1980s. They were intended to assist Historic Scotland (formerly SDD-HBM) in formulating plans for landscaping and laying out the interior of the courtyard of the castle for visitors. As part of that process, it was necessary to identify the deepest archaeological deposits within the courtyard. Most of the archaeological input was concentrated towards the east side of the courtyard (Area I), where deep stratified deposits were discovered. Elsewhere in the courtyard exposures of bedrock militated against deep archaeological deposits, although there appears to be build up towards the north of the area. The latter, though not apparently as deep as on the east of the site, should be acknowledged as archaeologically sensitive. A small second trench (Area II) was excavated towards e e courtyarcentrth th f o e d enclosure, confirming thae interioth t r originally featured expansef o s weathered bedrock as a surface. The following report concentrates exclusively on the findings of Are aandI , specifically sequence th , industriaf eo l structures dating fro17te 13te th m hth o h t century . Five main phases of activity were recognized in the excavations as follows: 12th - mid-13th century; late 13th - early 14th century; early 14th - 16th century; 16th — mid-17th century; and mid-17th - 20th century. These five phases of stratified deposits and structural remains do not correspond exactly with the four phase f upstandinso g structural remains describe RCAHMe th y db S (1992, 245-59), where an architectural account of the castle is given in greater detail. 520 I SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1996 N PHASE 1 PHASE 3 PHAS2 E PHASE 4 20 _J m ILLU S3 Principal phase f occupatioo s rebuildind nan g EWART & TRISCOTT: CASTLE SWEEN, KNAPDALE, ARGYLL & BUTE I 521 PHASE 1: 12TH - MID-13T H CENTURY (ILLU) S4 Levelling waterand supply e mosTh t conspicuous structural evidenc e earliesth f eo t medieval occupatio e ston th e sit s th eei f curtaino n wall of the enclosure castle. The earliest archaeological deposits found in association with it were successive dumps of sands and gravels, used for levelling the interior. A deep deposit of clean white sand (F131) was located towards the north-east corner of the curtain wall enclosure m1 . o deepThit p su , sans appearedwa o havdt e been quarried fro e neighbourinmth g bayd an , probably extended alon entire gth e inne ease r th fac tf o curtaine fortrese e limitth Th .f o s s werd ean lait dou built directly onto bedrock interioe th , r then being fille witn i d h sand graveld san f whicso h deepesF13e th s 1i t and earliest deposit. e dumpeTh d sands encountere e lowesth t da t level Aren i s aI range coloun di r fro almosn ma t white, fine-grained variety, toward trenche norte th sth f ho darkero t , , browner deposits sout f walho l F014 (the south wall of the Phase 2 north range). The range in colour and coarseness doubtless reflects various quarry sources, but also the contamination from occupation within the compound over its long history. Significantly, Phase 1 and 2 features (with the possible exception of the well) were found to cut or overlie the sandy dumps directly with hardly any evidence of solid, metalled or paved areas, apparently indicating that the surface within the early castle was simply sand and bedrock. Moreover, the limited extent of occupation contamination on the sand distincs s(a t fro lateeffecte e mth th rf o industrias l complexes) suggest eastere th f so ne tha e th hal us f t o f enclosur s limitedewa localizeA .