Dendrochronology, documents and the timber trade: new evidence for the building history of stirling castle, Scotland: new evidence for the building history of stirling castle, Scotland

Abstract

DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL analysis of structural timbers from Stirling Castle has produced exact felling dates for building phases within the Castle complex. This analysis has also provided evidence for the source of the timbers, demonstrating that throughout the 16th century much of the timber was imported from the region of eastern Denmark/southern Sweden. This paper presents a brief building history of the Castle, followed by the dendrochronological evidence. Finally, the historical context for the timber trade between Scotland and Scandinavia is discussed.