Book Description

This volume deals with all the major excavations at Carisbrooke during the 20th century, particularly those by Stuart Rigold and Chris Young. Many of these excavations were undertaken during the repair and refurbishment of the castle and the provision of services, and provide below-ground evidence which is related to the known history of building and castle defences. Evidence was recovered for a pre-existing Saxon enclosure and three very rich saxon graves, a complex sequence of gatehouse and drawbridge structures, and various additions and alterations to the castle defences from the 12th-17th centuries. Large and important assemblages of medieval and post-medieval pottery and ironwork were recovered. Documentary evidence for the 1597-1601 refurbishment and the historical background to them is also reviewed.