Students from Forth Valley College’s ‘Digging Stirling’ evening course will put their new skills to the test, on the first ever official archaeological dig on the Stirling City Walls.
A group of between 10-15 budding Alice Roberts or Tony Robinsons – along with 20 other local volunteers – will be led on the site excavation by Stirling Council’s Archaeologist Murray Cook on the weekend of October 7-8.
Murray – who takes the six week course titled ‘Digging Stirling - An Introduction to Archaeology & History of Stirling’, at FVC’s Stirling Campus was delighted to end his first course of the new term (from Tues 29 August – Tuesday 3 October), by inviting the class to demonstrate what they had learned at this exciting dig opportunity.
Now he is looking forward to filling the 13 places available on his 2024 evening course of the same name, running from 14 May-18 June next year.
Murray, said: “As with all courses in a classroom it’s quite abstract, but this exciting dig allows people to get hands-on experience. It’s controlled, safe and fun, and of course, there's always the possibility that we'll find something amazing that's not been seen in centuries.
“The dig is very exciting, as we hope to confirm a previously unknown bastion on Stirling's City Walls. The walls are the best preserved in Scotland and were built to stop an English invasion forcing the infant Mary Queen of Scots from marrying Henry VIIIth's son in 1547... known as ‘the rough wooing’. The walls also deterred Cromwell's troops and Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745/6, though not for long!
“The walls have never been formally recorded or dug on and are of clear international significance, because they capture a moment of technological change and adaption in artillery warfare. There's also a good chance we'll find spent ammunition.”
Murray’s evening course at FVC aims to dig up the past and reveal archaeological techniques and practices to highlight the history of Stirling.
The overview of the course mentions that as Stirling sits at the lowest crossing point of the Forth, “if you don’t control Stirling you couldn’t control Scotland”. Many have said that every major event in Scottish history has involved Stirling in some way.
Students who enrol on the course that costs £135, will learn about Scotland’s earliest ancestors, as well as Romans and Picts, Vikings and Angles, Kings and Queen, heroes and villains. They will also experience other field trips – such as one to the Old Town Cemetery and a fascinating excavation trip to Stirling Castle’s ‘midden’ on the Back Walk.
Murray, who has worked in archaeology since 1996, added: “Stirling is amazing from a historical and archaeological point of view. It is absolutely unique, not just from a Scottish focus, but across the whole of the UK. It is up there with London or Berlin and Paris from a historical and archaeological context, but very few people in this area seem to know that.
“The ‘midden’ is always a fascinating place to dig and we regularly find medieval pottery, musket balls, coins and oyster shells which may have been held by royalty!
Why not join me as we explore Scotland’s former capital and understand the best preserved medieval city in Scotland!”
The course will include six two hour lectures and at least two field trips:
- Introduction to the history of Archaeology
- Stirling’s Geography and its influence on Scottish History
- Romans and Celts
- Wars of Independence
- Stewarts: From Peak to Trough
- Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites
- Field trip to Old Town Cemetery (Sunday morning trip – 3 hours)
- Field Trip Excavation of Stirling Castle Midden (Sunday morning trip 3-4 hours)
More information can be found by visiting the course website on https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/courses/tourism/digging-stirling-an-introduction-to-archaeology-history-of-stirling-evening