Researchers bid to unearth Scotland's other Arthur's Seat

FOR centuries the King's Knot has had experts in a tangle trying to explain its mysterious origins.

Theories about the earthen mound below Stirling Castle include an Iron Age structure, a Roman fort and even the Round Table where King Arthur gathered his knights.

But now, the latest scientific techniques will be used to probe a metre beneath the ground to get a clearer picture of the enigmatic site.

Stirling Local History Society (SLHS) and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society will join experts from Glasgow University Archaeology Department next week to conduct a geophysical survey of the entire area.

Glasgow University archaeology lecturer Dr Richard Jones, who will lead the team, said: "This is a fabulous opportunity to discover more about a site which has fascinated people down the centuries, and it's all the more exciting because we really don't know what - if anything - it will reveal. The survey equipment we use will sense beneath the ground, showing us any lost structures and features irrespective of how old they are."

There is documentary evidence that the area was a garden in the 16th century, although experts say deep ditches and trenches around the King's Knot seem inconsistent with a garden.

Extensive work on the royal gardens was carried out in the early 17th century for Charles I and it may have been then that the mound was given its final form.

The royal gardens at Stirling passed out of use during the 17th century. The first known record of the site being called the King's Knot is from 1767 when it was being leased for pasture.

There is a recorded Roman road approaching Stirling, which means there could have been at least one camp on the site.

SLHS chairman John Harrison said: "People have told stories about the King's Knot for hundreds of years and it has become linked with all sorts of ideas. But it's origins remain mysterious.

"The area was used as a garden in the 16th and 17th centuries, but when was the present 'cup and saucer' mound formed? Perhaps it was as late as the 1620s.

"But about 1375 the poet John Barbour says that 'the round table' was somewhere to the south of Stirling Castle and tradition continued to place 'the tabilll round' hereabouts. It is a mystery which the documents cannot solve. But geophysics may give us new insights.

"Some of our members and other members of the local community will help the specialists to reveal more about this remarkable and important site."

Archaeologist Stephen Digney, who has co-ordinated the project, said the area around Stirling Castle holds some of the finest medieval landscapes in Europe.

He added: "This investigation will be the start of a serious effort to explore, explain and interpret them."

SLHS and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society have secured funding from Historic Scotland and Stirling City Heritage Trust for the project.

Historic Scotland, which looks after the King's Knot, made a grant of more than 2,000 towards the survey.

Richard Strachan, Historic Scotland's senior archaeologist, said: "High-quality research of this kind is very important to help us discover more about Scotland's past and we are very pleased to be able to support this project.

"The King's Knot is not only a fascinating site, but also a very sensitive one, which means that geophysical survey techniques are ideal as they help reveal any archaeology below the surface, without causing it any damage.

Sonya Linskaill, of Stirling City Heritage Trust, said: "We aim to promote wider understanding and enjoyment of Stirling's historic environment, and encourage local community groups to get involved in their heritage."