Skull tells secrets of castle past

Jul 1 2009 by Gregor White, Stirling Observer Wednesday

A SKELETON at Stirling Castle is shedding light on the often harsh realities of life noble knights.

The bones were unearthed during excavation work back in 1997 and the limited information gleaned from them at the time suggested the body was of a man who died in his mid-20s, probably after having his nose and jaw sliced through by a sword.

Living in or around the early 1400s, the man was laid to rest under the floor of a chapel near the castle’s royal apartments, in an area now known as the Governor’s Kitchen.

Other injuries on the body included a dent in the front of the skull as the result of a severe blow, possibly from an axe, while a large arrowhead was also found in the skeleton, appearing to have struck through the back or under the arm.

Advances in technology and analytical techniques led to a recent re-examination of the skeleton, including laser scanning.

Gordon Ewart of Kirkdale Archaeology, who carried out the excavation and some of the research for Historic Scotland, said: “This is a remarkable and important set of discoveries.

“There were a series of wounds, including a dent in the skull from a sword or axe, where bone had regrown, showing that he had recovered.

“At first we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he had survived it and may have had his chest bound up.”

Historic Scotland’s Peter Yeoman said: “We know little about this burial area but the evidence suggests it was sometimes used during extreme circumstances, for example to bury the dead during a siege.

“However, by using modern analysis techniques we have started to discover quite remarkable information about this man.

“It appears he died in his mid-20s after a short and violent life.

“His legs were formed in a way that was consistent with spending a lot of time on horseback and the upper body points to someone who was well-muscled, perhaps due to extensive training with medieval weapons.

“This evidence and the fact that he was buried at the heart of a royal castle suggests he was a person of prestige, possibly a knight.”

Further study is planned on tooth enamel and bone samples.