Excavations at Craignethan Castle, 1984 and 1995 John Lewis*, Eoin Mcb Cox| & Helen Smith}
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 128 (1998), 923-936 Excavations at Craignethan Castle, 1984 and 1995 John Lewis*, Eoin McB Cox| & Helen Smith} ABSTRACT This report describes excavations carried out within the basement of the ruined north-east tower courtyard(1984)at and immediate levelthe to tower the east of house (1995) Craignethanat Castle. The former was originally a kitchen but was remodelled at some stage, perhaps to a brewhouse. There evidencewas that rangea buildingsof beenhad planned eastthe sidethe for of inner courtyard but that quite early in the development of the castle (built c 1530) it was abandoned in favourimpressivethe of tower house. project The funded was Historicby Scotlandits and predecessor, Historic Buildings Monuments.and INTRODUCTION Several accounts have been written of Craignethan Castle (including MacGibbon & Ross 1887; Simpson 1963; Maclvor 1977; and McKean 1995; but see also Pringle 1992) and these should be consulted for more detailed descriptions of the monument than can be included here. Nevertheless, briea f summar histors it architecturf d yo yan presenteds i e thin i s scenpapee th t ordeen ri se o rt for the excavations described within. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Craignethan Castle dates from around 1530 and was the brainchild of Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, the illegitimate son of James, first Earl of Arran and great-grandson of King James II. Finnart not only commissioned the building of the castle but, as one who was passionately interested in architecture (and indeed the future Master of the King's Works), took a very active interest in its construction. Finnart was executed for treason in 1540 and the castle eventually fell into the hands of his half-brother (also James), who was to become the second Earl of Arran and Regent of Scotland during the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1566 he fell out of favour with Mary and was banished to France, but returned shortly afterwards. From the time of the Queen's abdication in 1567, Arran supported Mary's cause even whe t becamni losea t one allies hi , s havin retako gt e Craignetha nfalled afteha nt i r int handenemys e ohi th f Regene so th , t Moray Eare Th .l dien di 1575; four years later his kinsmen were dispossessed of their estates and their strongholds (including Craignethan) were slighted. castle'e Somth f eo s buildings appea havo t r e remained * Scotia Archaeology, Marda, Ferntower Place, Crieff, PerthshirD 3D 7 ePH Uppe9 f r Nisbet, Jedburgh, S Border6T 8 sTD J 16 The Quilts, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 5RL 924 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1998 ILLUS 1 Location map of Craignethan Castle. (Based on the Ordnance Survey map © Crown copyright) LEWIS, COX & SMITH: EXCAVATIONS AT CRAIGNETHAN CASTLE | 925 habitable after this even part d t weri an tf so e still considered secur 159n ei 2 (Simpson 1963, 41), but its days as a major fortification were past. Some time after 1659, probably when most of the castl uninhabitables ewa buildingw ne , s were outeaddee th ro dt courtyar thee th ny downerb , Andrew Hay, who made good use of the ample supply of masonry from the earlier dereliction. Craignethan reclaimed some renown equates whewa t ni d (erroneousl r otherwiseyo y b ) many with Tillietudlem Castl Walten ei r Scott' Mortalityd sOl (1816). Some time later railwaa , y halt and its associated hamlet of Tillietudlem were established 1 km south-west of the castle. LOCATION Craignethan Castle stands nea confluence rth Rivee th f reo CraignethaNethae th d nan n Burn, 1 km south-west of the village of Crossford, in Lanarkshire — although considerably further by north-wesm k 7 d f Lanarroaan o t d— uppen ki r Clydesdale (NGR 81S N :5 463) (illus 1). Although its defensive qualities were compromised somewhat by the elevated ground that lies to its west, the castle was well protected on its north, east and south sides by precipitous cliffs on the riverso tw e .side th Thes f so e cliffalsy oma s have protecte earlien da r building, Draffan Castle, which perhaps dates to the 13th century, and is thought by some to have stood on this site (Simpson 1963, 42)physicae Th . l evidenc thif eo slocatede fortificatiob o t t .ye s nha ARCHITECTURE The castle (illus 2 & 3) is approached from the west and entered through a gateway to an outer courtyard (possibl originan a t yno l featur castle th althougf eeo — earln ha y one, nevertheless) which is separated from its inner courtyard by a ditch. This ditch was spanned by a bridge (now replace modera y db furthee non r south protected an ) caponiebass a it y t eb covereda a e (i r d passage withi ditce nth alloo ht w defensive fire alon length) s easge it th ditce t s n sidth O .hf wa e o stona e rampart widem 5 , , defendin innee gth r courtyard fro artillery man y that might have been positioned on the elevated ground to its west. On its remaining three sides, where artillery was threata les f so walls it , s were considerably less robust. There were large, square towere th t sa north-eas south-easand t t corner smalle remaininand s two r onethe gsat corner innethe rsof courtyard: only the south-east tower still stands to any appreciable height. Originally, there werotheo etw r entrances intinnee oth r courtyard: small gate-towers, midway alon norte gth h curtai soute towardd th n an f h o wes curtaie d sth ten n (the latter blocked t soma e stage, perhap favounorte n si th f ho r gate) . soute Towardth f ho curtaiease d sth en t n wall first-floot a , r level, were three windows whic alsd hha o been seale t somda e stagebees ha nt .I suggested that these windows were associated wit hsouta h range, perhaps containin ghalla , whose construction was abandoned in favour of the nearby tower house (Simpson 1963, 44). Alternatively intentioe ,th havy nema bee sheo nt d light int towee oth r house although this would have been thwarted whe openinge nth s were sealed. principae Th l buildin towecastla e s th f ewa gro hous f unusuaeo ingenioud an l s design, measuring 21 m by 16m and 10m high. Over a basement containing storage cellars and a prison wa halsa l (unusua groune th n li d floocastlea f o r ) whose barrel vault extended upwards through two storeys, a height of over 6 m. Above its adjoining kitchen and withdrawing room was private accommodation. The entire building was capped with a four-roomed attic, now in ruins. Of the six towers around the perimeter of the inner courtyard, the south-east and north-east largeste th former e wer fa hav y .Th y eb rema house dchapea l withi singlee nth , lofty storey above 92 | 6SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1998 ILLUS 2 Craignethan Castle viewed from the west. (Historic Scotland © Crown copyright) basement level. The latter probably included residential accommodation, perhaps on two floors, ove basemenra t kitchen whic remodelles hwa t somda e stage (see below). Other accommodation would have been ranged around the walls of both courtyards although, apart from some roof corbels against the walls of the outer ward, few traces of those original buildings now survive above ground level. e south-easTh d north-easan t t towers each measured approximately 10m square and allowe flankinr dfo g fire alon outside gease th th tf ecurtaio n wal projectiny b l g som beyonm e2 d it. The south-east tower still stands to its full height of 10.7 m whereas the north-east tower has been demolished to below ground-floor level, its basement being infilled with large quantities of rubble, mainly from its collapsed vaulted roof. Between the basements of these two towers is a range of three vaulted cellars (the east range), each with a doorway in its west wall. These cellars enteree ar d fro mvaultea d passage, accesse fligha y stairf dnorts b o totheit s and d it t s a ht en ra , end, by a doorway from outside the castle's walls. This passage is not a primary feature of the castle: before the tower house was built, the cellars were probably entered directly from the inner courtyard, perhaps dow nshara p slop castle flighr th e o f s estepsi f o o easte slopd e th en t .Th t ea steeo s p tha firse th t t ease floorth t adjacens f rangit o s d ean t towers were level wit groune hth d floor of the nearby tower house. EXCAVATIONS The castle came into the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland in 1949, after which the debris that covered much of its remains was removed and its masonry gradually consolidated. The ditch separating the two courtyards was not emptied until 1962 when the caponier was discovered. In 1984 this programme extended to the interior of the north-east tower (its exterior had been consolidate earlien a t da r date). Befor fabrie eth f thico s building coul repairede db rubble th , e othed an r post-abandonment deposits withi weret ni removed archaeologically autume th n I . f no LEWISSMITH& X CO ,: EXCAVATION CRAIGNETHAT SA N CASTL7 92 I E OUTER COURTYARD •i n E:::::: | Area of 1995 excavation 0 30 !•••'•••] ^ ILLUS 3 Plan of Craignethan Castle 928 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1998 199 exploratorn 3a ythrougg trencdu s concrete hhth wa e coverin ease rooe th tgf th rang o f e basement.