Excavations in the Laird's Hall, Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire

Abstract

Report of an excavation carried out at the Castle of Drum in 1991 to investigate the possibility of uncovering evidence of the life of the great tower prior to the seventeenth century, and to try to date the structure. Excavation was restricted to the upper Laird's Hall and to part of the cellar. Although few datable artefacts were recovered, organic remains from floor deposits survived. The stone base of a screen was uncovered at the eastern end of the hall, along with post-holes and a post rest in the northeast corner, in the area where the stairs to the upper floor had stood. A small wooden musical instrument was recovered from the cellar. Specialist reports include