Timber fragment could shed new light on Castle of Old Wick construction
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A piece of ancient timber in a wall at the Castle of Old Wick could provide researchers with a new insight into the origins of the cliff-top stronghold.
The fragment, within a joist socket of an upper floor in the castle ruins, is believed to be oak. This would make it suitable for dendrochronological analysis, the scientific method of dating tree rings, according to experts at Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
Described as being "in a very fragile state", the fragment will be carefully removed and wrapped before being transported to a laboratory in Edinburgh for examination.
An illustrated information panel at the site, just to the south of Wick, describes the castle as one of the oldest in Scotland, "probably built by the Earl of Caithness, Harald Maddadson, in the 1160s".
However, there are now suggestions that its construction may date from the 14th century.
An update on the research work was given in a blog by project lead Rachel Pickering of HES.
She wrote: "There are many unanswered questions about this castle, not least ‘when was it built?’.
"Very little is known about the castle’s origin and development – there is limited documentary evidence relating to its earlier history and no diagnostic architectural features survive, making it very difficult to date.
"It was once thought to have been one of the earliest stone castles in Scotland, associated with Norse earls of Orkney and Caithness. However, more recently, scholars have questioned this, suggesting a 14th century date is much more likely for its construction.
"One tantalising clue survives that may shed light on its construction history – a single fragment of timber within a joist socket of an upper floor. The sole surviving timber is increasingly at risk of decay as it is exposed to the elements.
"Our aim is to remove the timber and assess it for dendrochronological analysis, or tree-ring dating, before conserving the remains. From this we may be able to get a scientific date to indicate when the castle was built.
"At the very least, such a date may provide an age and provenance for the timber joist which provides an insight into phases of the castle’s development."
