Ruthven in Badenoch I 1107
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Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 128 (1998), 1105-1119 Ruthve Badenochn i excavatioe th : Highlana f no d garrison Eoin McB Cox* with contributions by D Gallagher & R McCullagh ABSTRACT Excavations 1983in brought lightto physical evidence laterthe medievalfor castle, includingthe militarylayout well, shedthe the light and of new on barracks which replaced afterit 1715 the Jacobite Rising. The project was funded by Historic Scotland. INTRODUCTION Ruthven Barracks (NGR: NN 765 997) is situated on a fluvioglacial terrace at OD 236 m, overlookin wide gth e alluvia Kingussif lRive e o plai th E f nro SS Speyem k withi t lieI 6 . s1. e nth paris Ruthvef ho Inverness-shirn i e (illus 1). The post-glacial terrace upon which the ruins stand has been artificially contoured over the yearpresens it o st t profile; flat toppe witd dan h equally displaced slopes commandin gstrategia c position in Strath Spey (illus 2). The terrace itself is well drained, owing to its sand and gravel composition, whil surroundine eth g alluvia lSpe e plaith verys f i n o y pron floodino et g throughout the year giving rise to an impenetrable morass in the environs. e standinTh g remain barracke th f o s s cam ee Secretar intth e car f oth o e f Statyo r fo e Scotland in 1968. Extensive consolidation of the masonry has since been carried out on the barracks, which were in a state of considerable disrepair. Archaeological examination of the barracks complex was carried out for Historic Scotland's predecessor department in 1983 to elucidate certain aspect plas it nf implementatio so e prio th o t r schema presentatios f nit o r efo n publice th o t . HISTORICAL SUMMARY Therevidenco n s ei f occupatioeo terrace th n o ne befor e 13teth h century whe s e sitnth ewa chosecapute th r chies no a , fComynse seatth f o , thein i , r Badenoch lordship castle y Th . ema have been buil stonf to e but, unlik othee eth r major Comyn strongholds examplr fo , e Inverlochy, in Lochaber, and Lochindorb, near Forres, there is no early medieval masonry standing at Ruthven. In the later 14th century the castle was in the possession of Alexander Stewart, the notorious 'Wol f Badenoch'o f acquireo wh , lordshie dth f Badenocpo 137n hi 4 fro fathes mhi r deats hi n ho withouRobert bu ; II tt male issue lordshie th , p reverte Crowe th o dt n (Macpherson Uppe*9 r Nisbet Street, Jedburgh, S Border6T 8 sTD 1106 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1998 ° *0 *T<ilcumein\ s'Ruthven Fort William./' "'' Dalwhinnie 1 km Military Road ILLUS 1 The location of Ruthven Barracks and the other Highland garrisons; dashed lines show 18th-century military roads 1893, 366) 1451n .I , John, Ear Rossf lo , storme castle dreduceth d partiaea an o t t di l ruin. Shortly after, the ruined structure and its lands came into the possession of the Gordons and, towards the end of the 16th century, George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly, erected a replacement castle. It is said that he 'built the castle twice, it being burnt by adventure or negligence of his servants after he once finished the same' (ibid, 372). In 1647 General Leslie laid siege to, and captured, the castle, then under the captaincy of the Macphersons. In 1649 the castle was again attacked, and afterwards garrisoned, by the English under Cromwell Duke .Th Gordo f eo grantes nwa lordshie dth Badenocf po 168n hi t 5bu in 1689 a pro-Williamite garrison, housed in the castle, came under attack from Graham of Claverhouse ruin laio o last e t di twh ,Th . descriptive accoun pre-barracke th f o t s buildings swa given by a scholar at the local school of Ruthven. In it he described the strongly built masonry which then stood on the terrace (Shaw 1775, 225). In 1669 Parliament recommended that a garrison be stationed at Ruthven. The proposal was not taken up immediately but construction work did begin in 1719, following the Jacobite Rising of 1715. The building was completed by September 1721. One of four new Highland garrisons, Ruthven housed infantry whos policeo t tas s localitye keth wa contemporar.A y Board of Ordnance plan (illu ) detail3 s proposee th s d fortificatio d barrackan n s facilities stablA . e block, for use by dragoons patrolling the new roads, was added in 1734 on Major-General George Wade's instruction e garriso greao n Th . w t nmilitarsa y action firss it ; t encounter with hostile COX: RUTHVEN IN BADENOCH I 1107 • ..- ILLU S2 Ruthven Barrack (Royalsr froai e mth Commission Anciente th Historicaln d o an Monuments of Scotland Crown© copyright) force 1745-lastn s si accoun it n s .siegA e eventuad 6th wa ef an o t l surrende barracke th f ro s swa relate Iristhe h dsergeanby t lef commanin t smalthe dlof garriso (Buismen tn of 1930,241-50) . A full descriptive account of the barracks buildings at Ruthven is given by Stell (1983, 20-30), who also provides a historical summary of all four Highland garrisons, at Bernera, Kilcumein, Inversnaid and Ruthven (see illus 1), which were designed and built on similar architectural lines e wideTh . r historica d architecturaan l l contex f Ruthveo t s givei n y b n Tabraham & Grove (1995). THE EXCAVATIONS AREA I: CASEMATES (ILLUS 6) ease paradth e t n halth I f fo e ground arelimitee s enclosure th ,a th wa y db ease walth t n angl o lvault d ean s on the north and south angles. Once turf and topsoil had been removed little destruction debris was found other than keystones and voussoirs which had fallen from the casemate roofs. They overlay a near-uniform layer of well-sorted yellow sand (Feature 13) into which a patchy gravel aggregate (14) had been pressed. This aggregate appearesurvivine th e b o dt g remain heavila f so y eroded parade ground co-existent wite hth entrance cobbling (16). The aggregate did not extend into the six casemates which abut the enclosure wall; instead there were thin deposits of disturbed humic sand immediately above the yellow bedding sand. The casemates in this area and throughout the barracks complex have a scarcement on the internal faces. This course exist unifora t sa m heighchamferes i d tan d alon frone gth t barrackelevationo tw e th sf so blocks and behind forestairs where it does not act as a supporting feature, merely a crude decoration. A wooden ste ontp pu ofirina g position, which probably reste thin do s scarcemen suggestes t (illuwa , s7) y db an intermittent mortar level clinging to the internal surfaces of each casemate. This mortar was present at similar heights abov robbee eth d threshold guardhouselevele th n si adjoinine th , g vault entrancesn o d an , the southern vaults. Ther alss omortaea wa r level agains forestair o Thes. 7) tw te & eeac th 6 stair ( sf ho s gave accese uppeth o t sre enclosur leveth f o l e wall, along which would have bee nwall-walka , since destroyed northere .Th n forestai renderes rdressewa s it n do d survivinfaces it o st g heigh looselA f 1.. to 2 m y 110 I 8SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1998 '71VTJ-IV.EN. *si I ! 1 § ! 1 1 !•§ 1X1: OuisVcte I i i i- Q, a Piles of BiUmcks. U Bi-rw w_Pirtke_Hovs C. Gru-U-d. H"(iLL5f. e. Officers Bo i.B'ibr PrivAt il. IDjviine. j. JvJ-f vAtLoji of y -Bat-jacks. jid. ofj).° aH.liJevjLtian ofy Katnp .XL 1"J.TJL of v J^oop Juries. li'fti/ii}Pi?urictfd mi a fp in Gj-.iuf/ L-ffi/-iu-c ILLUS 3 Board of Ordnance plan of the proposed barracks, 1719-20. (© Trustees of the National Library of Scotland) COX: RUTHVE BADENOCN I H 1109 ILLUS 4 Plan of the barracks, showing the areas excavated in 1983 consolidated rubble core fille space dth e betwee barracke nth retaininse gablth d ean g wall .sai e Littlb dn eca abou e constructioth t e southerth f o n n forestair, which suffered considerable damage durine th g consolidatio ease th tf soute ngablo th f heo barracks block cornee barracke th Th . f rebuils o r swa t from foundation 1970se leveth reconstruction s i l ;it m1 2. belo g scarcemene wdu n th s trencwa ) h(2 t level. The entrance cobbling (16) has suffered similar damage to the south forestair during the rebuilding of the main threshold level, but nevertheless a substantial amount of the surface remained intact, laid in well- sorted yellow sand, simila thao t r t (13) which oversprea ease d th parade t parth f o te ground rivere Th . - washed pebbles, known locally as 'cassies', provided a hard-wearing threshold entrance beyond the dressed stone flags withi maie nth n doorway. This entranc presumabls ewa yshora t vaulted passage. An exploratory trench within the casemate immediately to the north of the entrance was excavated in orde establiso t r fule hth l heighcasemate th f o t e walls. Relatively thick deposit f disturbeso d sandd san gravels had been backfilled against the main enclosure wall to a depth of some 800 mm below the entrance cobbling (16) at threshold level. These sands overlay a homogeneous, thin level of mortar extending 6m west of the enclosure wall, presumably reflecting a construction phase.