Proc Soc Antiq Scot, (1982)2 11 , 465-76 Finds from Urquhart Castl Nationae th en i l Museum, Edinburgh Ross Samson* Urquhart Castle is situated on a promontory on the N side of Loch Ness, guarding the entrance into Glen Urquhart fertila , e alcove whic s yieldehha d artefacts froe earls mth a s ya Bronze Age and two ring cairns of the Clava type. The site's tactical importance may have invited the construction of a timber-laced fort. Quantities of vitrified stone are recorded from the early excavation Ministre th y b s f Works yo t apparentlbu , prehistorie relicth o yn f o s y 'ocan f ages turned up'. strategie Th c importanc site th e f commandino e uppee gth rGreae parth f to t Gles nwa recognize dsais i earlyt di r thafo , t Willia roya a Lio e md th nlha for t Urquharta t lordshipe Th . of Urquhart changed hands some few times before being held by the Comyns, lords of Badenoch shortly before the Wars of Independence. It fell to Edward I twice on campaigns which brought twichis mElgino wa t et recapturedbu , granted an , BrucThomar y db Si o et s Randolph, Earf o l Moray. It was one of the five castles to hold out against Edward III in 1335. In 1346 the barony castld an e reverte crowne th o dt , guarde royay db l constables until rebee seizeth y l db Ear f o l Ross a century later. The lordship of Urquhart was granted to John Grant in 1509. The castle was thereafte possessioe th n Lairde ri th f Granf n o o skep d repairn an ti t , although seizea y db band of MacDonalds in 1545 and Covenanters in 1644. Garrisoned by Whigs in the Revolution of 1689 buildinge somth f eo s were blow evacuates whep nu wa t n i year o dtw s later 170n I .e 8th Laird of Grant successfully stopped the local inhabitants from despoiling the castle of its lead and woodwork, but it was then left to the mercy of the elements until 1912 when the ruins were handed over to the Ancient Monuments Department. Excavation and repair began immediately, t werbu e interrupte ware th .y dTheb y were resume 191n d i complete d 9an fullea 1922n d i r rFo . history see the HMSO guidebook, Simpson (1930; 1951) and MacKay (1893). resulte Ministry'e th Th f so s work were publishe Simpsony db findse Th . , however, were relegate moro n o edt tha lisna f objects o t , whose locatio site recordes th ei n no d laconicalln yi the National Museum's register e incompletTh . e natur f survivino e g site record s madha s t ei difficult if not impossible to pinpoint where they were found. In any case the stratigraphy was recorded simplnumbee th s y a f fee o r t below ground level t whica , h they were found thein I . r long sojour museue th n i m numbea nicee th f rr o piece s have been published separatel varioun yi s books. MacDonal Laind dan g (1977) published some sketche Urquhare th f so t metalwor theikn i r index as comparative material for their 14th-century metalwork from Lochmaben Castle, Dumfriess-shire. Laing noted that there were relativel collectionw yfe f medievao s l ironwork from Scotland, the largest being Urquhart, Lochmaben, and Caerlaverock Castle (publication Nationao *c/ l Museu mf Antiquitieo f Scotlandso , Queen Street, Edinburgh 466 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1982 forthcoming) smalo tw ld groupan , s from Kirkcudbright Castle (Dunnin t alge 1958 Lucd an ) e Sands (Jop 1959)l a t ethie o addee .T b s lisn d tca Threav e Castle (Goo Tabrahad& m 1981d )an e massivth e collection from Perth (forthcoming) r comparativFo . e collection Englann i s e dse Biddle (1963), Mynard (1969), Jarrett (1970 Plattd )an , Coleman-Smit (1975)l a t he . Datin e collectiogth e absencs difficulni th d f stratificatioo ean t s mosi n t unfortunate. Historical recor f occupatiodo n extends e 17tfro e th 13t mhth o h t centur y eac f whicho s hi represented by some of the datable artefacts: brass ewer, brooches, spurs, arrowheads and coins. Six coins were found, pennie Johf so n Balliol, Edwar Roberd an d I , plack , tII VI Jamef d so an sV an turneda Charlef bronzo o r Tw . esI pins perhaps poin earlieo t t r occupation, being possibly o lata f e Dar datee kAg . This migh confirmee b t more th ey db recen t discover penannulaa f yo r brooch terminal at the castle, now in the Inverness museum published in Small et al (1973). Other finds preserve Invernese th dn i s museum include sherd medievaf so l pottery gunstoneo .Tw s 4 and 5 inches (102,127 mm) in diameter and 14 larger stone shots about 250-300 mm in diameter castlee stilth e t ar a l. The finds from Urquhart Castle were given on loan to the National Museum in 1923. In 1955 they were gifted by the Countess of Seafield. The HY numbers with each object are the museum's registration numbers. Laing (MacDonald & Laing 1977) gave the redundant loan numbers. Iron ironwore Th k from Urquhart Castl vers ei y s Lainvariea d gdan note quantite dth perhaps yi s surprising in view of the medieval reports of shortages of iron in Scotland. Horsegear, tools, domestic implements weapond representedl ,an al e sar mose .Th t interesting, perhap numeroue th e sar s arrowheads. 1 Rowel spur. London Museum Medieval Catalogue (hereinafter LMMC) type ff terminals witha hook strap end still attached to one terminal. The small rowel was originally of eight points. Early . 72 Y H . mm 15t 0 h10 centur 0 15 . yL 2 Rowel spur. LMMC type if terminals, one of which is broken and perhaps mended with thin wire. Originall poinx si ya t rowel. 73 . LatY H . e 14tmm h5 7 century 0 13 . L . 3-6 Swivel-rings. Some form of horse gear, probably tether. The hole of no 4 shows signs of wear. 75 , 110mm , 95 . 127 77 , L , 7495 Y , 76 ,H . 7 Horseshoe nail. Flat rectangular head of Biddle's Seacourt type 3ii. (Biddle 1963,176-7). L. 39 mm. HY80. 9 Horseshoes8- . Nailhole t countersunsno hencd kplaian e eth n outline t fulleredno ; ; plain calkins. simila e 14th-centurThese ar th o o rt etw y horse-shoes foun t Lochmabeda n Castle . 114,11.L . 9mm HY 78, 79. 10 Lump of corroded arrowheads. Some 140 arrowheads all apparently of the same type as no 13, an early barbed arrowhead barbee .Th d arrowhead, although confine latechase e th th rn e o di Middlt e Ages, was in its earlier stages probably used also as a military weapon. They were found at Dyserth Castle, Flint purela , y military site occupied betwee yeare nth s survivine 124 1263d th l 1an Al . g single example socketee sar represend dan wida t e variet mostle f type yo datear d t san f yo sbu . 34 militarY H . ymm design9 14 . L . 11 Arrowhead. LMMC late typA . re 15 evolve d hunting arrowhea. d wit35 Y h H lon . g mm barbs 0 8 . .L 12 Arrowhead. LMMC type 16. Barbed hunting arrowhead. L. 78 mm. HY 36. 13 Arrowhead. LMMC. 39 typ . EarlY eH 13 . y barbemm 8 5 d. L arrowhead . 10 o n e se , 14 Arrowhead. Laing (MacDonal Laind& g 1967, 154) suggest crossboa s i t si w bolt, late medieval. 37 Y H . mm 7 3 . L 15 Arrowhead. LMMC type 1, leaf-shaped blade, early medieval. L. 50 mm. HY 40. 16-17 Arrowheads. LMMC type 3. No 17 is of this early form with marked shoulders but also is centrally more th es commoha ridged6 1 o nN . plai facn i n ty section havma t e beebu , n barbe. d 13 lik o en 46mm, 59 . L .41 H, Y38 18-21 Arrowheads. LMMC type 7. These 13 arrowheads were developed for military use, as an answer SAMSON: FINDS FROM URQUHART7 CASTL46 | E FIG 1 Ironwork (scale 1:2) 468 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1982 31 FIG 2 Ironwork (scale 1:2) SAMSON: FINDS FROM URQUHAR9 T CASTL46 | E to the increasing efficiency of armour protection. They have a diamond, or in the case of no 20, . 51 , 52 , 53 squar , 47 eY sectionH . 117mm , L .102 3 91 , 13 , 22-29 Arrowheads. LMMC types 7-8 and 8. Type 8 is marked by a leaf-shaped blade, eg no 24, but the distinctio 23'o t alwayN s no . nsockes i betwee 28 sconstructe s 8 cleao d n twa g an r e n 7 beatiny db g out and rolling over the end. L. 130, 89,135, 86,152,174, 80 mm. HY 46, 54, 45, 48, 44, 49, 55, 50. 30 Arrowhead. LMMC type 11. Highly developed type of military arrowhead, which is dated 14-15th century by the LMMC. L. 66 mm. HY 42. 31 Spearhead. Diamond section wingso n , . , socketed43 Y H . 15L . 5mm 32 Dagger blade. Single-edged blade and strip tang with three remaining iron rivets. L. 267 mm. HY 59. 33 Knife blade. Single-edged blade and flat strip tang with one remaining rivet hole. L. 86 mm. HY 57. 34 Knife blade. Single-edged blade and strip tang with one remaining brass and one remaining iron .