Volunteer Archaeologists Find Lost Medieval Castle in Scottish Forest

Scotland is famous the world over for its collection of medieval castles, and a team of volunteer archaeologists have have just added a new one to the list. Most intriguingly, the castle they believe they’ve discovered is linked to Mary Queen of Scots, and also to the Battle of Langside, which may have led directly to the castle’s destruction and the famous Mary’s downfall.

Following the Roadmaps to an Archaeological Treasure

Over the summer of 2024, representatives of Scotland’s Clutcha Archaeology Group were digging in the forested land of Chatelherault Country Park near the town of Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, in search of any trace of Eddlewood Castle, a legendary structure that has been lost for more than 450 years.

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They had a good idea of where to look for the hidden fortified complex, as they had access to two sources that described its location. The first was an estate plan prepared for the Duke of Hamilton in 1776, which marked out where the castle had supposedly once stood. The second source was a written report from the year 1889, which discussed the Battle of Langside and described in detail the spot where the castle had been built.

Armed with this information, the Clutcha Archaeology volunteers, with help from experts affiliated with Archaeology Scotland and the Countryside Ranger Service, opened three excavation test pits in what was deemed a promising location, to see if they could uncover any evidence of a buried medieval castle.

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Tower and ruins of Bothwell Castle, one of many medieval castles in South Lanarkshire. (Bert Kaufmann/CC BY 2.0).

Much to everyone’s delight, such evidence was in fact found. The volunteer archaeologists unearthed the remains of some type of cobbled surface, an installation that looked like a drain, and some shards from ceramic pottery made in a distinctive medieval style.

The last discovery was particularly useful, because it allowed the experts to date the pottery to the 14th or 15th centuries. This was obviously a century or two before the reported annihilation of the Eddlewood Castle following the Battle of Langside, but that could mean that the pottery was valuable and had been successfully preserved at the castle for quite some time beforehand.

The artifacts were originally discovered in July, and professional archaeologists have been studying them ever since. Since the original find, some more exciting evidence has emerged that may be related to Eddlewood Castle.

A local resident reported that during construction activity at a nearby housing project, the installation disturbed some cut stone blocks that appeared to have been part of a larger structure. The Clutcha Archaeology volunteers believe these blocks may have formed the outer ringed wall of the castle, and the plan is to investigate this structure further sometime in the coming months.

Ailsa Smith, co-founder of Clutha Archaeology Group and Community Representative on the Scottish Strategic Archaeology Committee, said her group will continue to search for leads that will help them find the castle.

 “As the pottery sherds have been confirmed as medieval, we plan to carry out another excavation in 2025 to explore the site further and hopefully find more artifacts and wall remains,” she said in a statement published in the Glasgow News. “In the meantime, we will continue our archival research to see if we can find earlier historic references to the castle and the Eddlewood estate.”

A Brief History of Eddlewood Castle, and Mary Queen of Scots

According to the 1889 account referenced earlier, Eddlewood Castle was situated alongside the Meikle Burn (stream) in what is now Chatelherault Country Park. It was built just a short distance from the confluence of two more streams, and can be found within the wall that forms the boundary of the High Parks of Hamilton. There is now just a mound of rubbish and a small fragment of a wall at this site, which up to now has made it difficult for archaeologists to know precisely where to dig.

The medieval fortress was apparently torn down following the 1568 Battle of Langside, which was a fierce confrontation between Scottish troops caught up in a civil war fought for control of the Scottish kingdom.

This battle pitted rebellious forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots against troops representing Mary’s one-year-old son James VI, who had (rather absurdly) been named the new king of Scotland in 1567 as part of a palace coup against his mother the queen.

Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. (Public Domain).

Mary’s forces were defeated at Langside, and decisively. This caused Mary to flee south across the border into England, where she would remain in exile and eventually captivity for more than 18 years (a period that ended with her execution). One result of this outcome is that the nearby Eddlewood Castle was purposely destroyed, presumably because its residents had somehow supported Mary’s efforts to retake her throne.

Resurrecting a Brand New, but Very Old, Scottish Landmark

In recent years there has been renewed interest in unearthing the ruins of the castle, motivated perhaps by its association with such a famous figure from Scottish history. Those efforts have now finally produced significant results, with the promise of more thrilling finds to come.

Painting of Mary, Queen of Scots, mourning the death of a military leader at the Battle of Langside. (Popular Graphic Arts/Public Domain).

What has been discovered so far about this long-lost Scottish castle is featured in the newly released Celebrating Archaeology in Scotland 2024 magazine. This issue also covers several other fascinating archaeological projects that are currently taking place across the country.

It should be noted that the sources from 1776 and 1889 that report the location of Eddlewood Castle have not been verified as genuine by experts. But that hasn’t stopped the archaeological community in Scotland from getting excited about the latest developments, which could ultimately lead to the castle’s complete excavation.

Top image: Aerial view of Craignethan Castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.      

Source: Supergolden/CC BY-SA 3.0

By Nathan Falde