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Excavations at Crichton Castle, Midlothian

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Excavations at Crichton Castle, Midlothian Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 127 (1997), 697-705 Excavation Crichtot a s n Castle, Midlothian John Lewis* ABSTRACT Excavation inside basementthe castle's ofthe tower house, earliestits extant building, revealed little of interest; whereas investigations areathe late in of the 16th-century Italianate northfacadethe on courtyardsidethe of revealed whatfoundations thoughtthe are originalbe the to of north range, probably dating to the 15th century. The project was funded by Historic Scotland (former SDD/ HEM). INTRODUCTION Crichton Castl e6110 (NGR38 ) edgstande steeT a th f N : e o n p s o easravine th t e n baneo th f ko River Tyne, 3.5 km south-west of Pathhead and 16 km south-east of Edinburgh (illus 1). To the east of the castle the ground continues to rise; and it is from here that the castle's masonry of Carboniferous sandstone appears to have been quarried. Sources such as MacGibbon & Ross (1887, 209-21) Royae th , l Commission (RCAHMS 1929, 47-51 Tabrahad )an m (1990) should consultee b detailer dfo d description castle'e th f so s architectur historyd ean summar:a thesf yo e is given here. e firsTh t stone castle, which perhaps replace n earth-and-timbea d r fortifications wa , probably built by John de Crichton in the late 14th century. It is thought to have comprised two main building severad san l ancillary structures l containeal , d withi enclosinn na g barmkin wall; evidence of this was uncovered on a previous occasion to the west of the castle. Earthen banks and ditches beyond the barmkin wall provided additional security measures. e principaTh l residential accommodation during this initial e castlphass th wa f eo e contained within a simple tower house built of coursed, squared rubble, rising to three storeys measurind an g 14.1 10. y mb 1 m overall. Althoug reducew hno heightn di , this building still forms ease th castlee t sidth f semicirculaeo A . r vault encompasse basemensa entresoln e a th d d an t an ; first-floor hal containes i l d withi nhigha , pointed vault. basemene Entrth o yt originalls wa t y through the north wall although this opening was blocked up when the castle was enlarged and a replacement doorway inserted in the west side of the building. There was a pit prison in the north- east cornetowee abovth d t entresof a an r o r , eit l level kitchen,a . Both were accessed froe mth basement. The hall, in common with the basement below, was entered from the outside through its north wall; this doorway was also sealed at a later date. north-wese th o towee T th f ro t hous whay la ethoughs i t havo t t e bee nfree-standinga , rectangular building measuring approximatel overall radicallm s 9 wa y t b I . ym altere0 y2 e th n di late 16th century and its original layout is difficult to envisage. However, at courtyard level there * Scotia Archaeology Limited, 29 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh EH7 5EF 69 | 8SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997 ^j,, Edinburgh \J> •>•—————•——"Vj i V^-*-"1 Musselburgh 0 10 m 0 late I4th century mid ISth century circa 1585 ILLUS I Locatio layoud nan Crichtof to n Castle. (BasedOrdnancee th n o CrownSurvey© p ma Copyright) LEWIS: EXCAVATION CRICHTOT SA N CASTLE 699 ILLUS 2 Crichton Castle from the south (Historic Scotland © Crown Copyright) were probably storage cellars (complete wit south-ease hwela th n i l t cornebuildinge th f ro d )an an outer hall above, to augment the function of the more private dining hall within the tower house. John's son, William (later Chancello Scotland)f ro probabls wa , y responsibl addinr efo g soute westh d han t range extendind san norte gth h rang lino et k wit towee hth r house, thereby converting Crichton into a courtyard castle (illus 2). At the same time, the original doorways into the tower house were blocked and replaced with one at basement level in the west wall; another at first-floor level gave access to the newly extended north range. As a result of these changes, the focus of the castle was switched from its east and north sides to the south range through which gaine round-archea now entr dby ywas d doorway courtyarAt . d level this building measured 20.1 11.y mb 6comprised man d vaulted cellar eithen so r transesida f eo . Abov cellare eth s were Willia Crichton'e md quartersw sne . These include hal w t first-flooa lne da r level, much more elaborate tha predecessors nit , whic entereds hforestaiwa a y b r leading fro courtyarde mth A . spiral stair, contained within a small jamb in its south-east corner, led to an upper level, now roofless, which contained the Chancellor's private apartments. The southern portion of the west range resembled a small, six-storey tower, with service or residential accommodatio eacn no h nort s floorit n hO . sid linket ei d wit htwo-storea y wing (later heightene anothey db r floor) which containe dkitchea t first-floona r level. Between this building norte th hd rangan passaga s ei e leadin postera go t n gate. Although originally a 15th-century construction, the north range was totally rebuilt in about 158 Franciy 5b s Stewart, Ear f Bothwello l remodelleo wh , ground-floos dit r cellard san inserted a kitchen and a large dining room within the floor above. On its second storey were 700 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997 ILLUS 3 The interior of the tower house, showing modern drains cutting the basement floor; viewed from the north several bedroom t anotheye d an sr kitchen e externaTh . l angle between this buildine th d gan original hall was taken up with a new building, containing a bakehouse at courtyard level and a parlou firss it tn floorro mose Th . t striking featur norte th f heo rang Italianats it s ei e fa9adea , reflection of the architectural influences Bothwell may have experienced during his exile in Italy (he returned in 1581). Above the seven-bay open arcade at courtyard level is a wall face with very prominent nail-head ornamentation, the like of which is unknown anywhere else in Scotland. Also straighe uniquth s ewa t scale-and-plat rangee th f o t,wes e evidentld staith en t ra firse yth t in Scotland. A maie s th wel ns a lcastl e buildings, there would have been other structures contained withi castle'e ndemolishedth w no s e outear survivine e r Th .defenceson t bu gl buildinAl . g stands about 40 m south of the castle and, despite its superficial resemblance to a chapel, was a stable with residential quarter probabld san lofy tha yabove a immediats it o T . eseee soute b nth n hca foundation severaf so l other structures whose functions remain unknown. THE EXCAVATION Excavation began within the basement of the tower house (the earliest standing building) in advanc repairf ebuilding'o e th o st s masonry. Because completethis swa d well ahea schedulef do , the investigation was extended to include the north end of the courtyard, on each side of the colonnade below the Italianate facade of the north range. This work, which was carried out early in 1985, was instigated by the Scottish Development Department (Historic Buildings & Monuments) (now Historic Scotland) and directed by John Cannell. LEWIS: EXCAVATION CRICHTOT SA N CASTLE 701 THE TOWER HOUSE (ILLUS 3) Turf, topsoi othed lan r recently deposited soil mortad san r spread directlt plastie ssa th n yco clay subsoil which constituted the floor of this basement chamber. Into this material had been cut the bedding trenche towee th r r sfo walls ,sout e thos westh d n han eo t sides being exposed durine gth excavation. Also cutting the clay were several drainage trenches, all aligned north/south, some of which were partly excavate reveao dt e moderth l n ceramic pipes therein e northerTh . n ends f theso e drains were disturbe anothey db r recent intrusion settine th , moderr gfo n steps leading from the doorway in the west wall. At the extreme south end of the room were two post-holes, each approximatel througmdiametein cut ythe0.4 of deep m ove was hthe and rOne . 0.3 r bedding soute trencth r htowere h fo wal th othee f o lth ; r disturbed onl subsoile yth . Although only two post-holes were uncovered, in all likelihood they represented temporary works associated with the construction of the tower after its foundations had been bedded. Italianate ILLUTh S4 e facadf eo the north range | SOCIET 2 70 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1997 norte ILLUTh h S5 side of the courtyard, viewed from the south- west, during the excavation; the well can be seen behind columne th e th f so Italianate facade THE NORTH RANGE (ILLUS 4-6) principae Th l are investigatiof ao n extended similar distances eithe colonnade r sidth f eo e th t ea norte fronth f ho t rang measured ean d approximatel east/wes m north/southm 2 1 y5 y b t n I . addition, there were two small extensions on its south side. Below the turf, topsoil and other modern deposits there were several features of interest, most of which appeared to support the perceived building sequence in this part of the castle. The excavated features can be placed into two distinct phases of construction, as described below.
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