Kirkcudbright Castle. 227 



was strong by nature, and was rendered more so by art. 

 The only approach from the town would be by way of a road 

 very near the present St. Mary's Wynd, and thence along 

 the gravel ridge to Castlemains. The original entrance to 

 the castle, for a reason that will be afterwards shown, I con- 

 jecture to have been from the river front. 



Towards the end of September, 191 1, permission was 

 obtained from Captain Hope, R.N., of St. Mary's Isle, to 

 make excavations on the castle mound. The first day 

 remains were found which effectually disposed of any idea 

 that no castle ever stood there. Careful drawings were 

 made, and the sites marked off. In September of last year 

 Captain Hope again generously gave permission to make ex- 

 cavations on an extended scale, and supplied the workmen for 

 a week. A start was made at the sites of the previous 

 excavations, and by the end of the first day one of the but- 

 tresses and a portion of wall, which afterwards turned out to 

 be the entrance to the east tower (A), were uncovered. 

 On the following day a third workman struck another but- 

 tress, which was in an excellent state of preservation, and a 

 little later a part of the circular wall was laid bare. The 

 excavation of this tower was proceeded with, and in the 

 course of the work two buttresses, almost complete, and a 

 third one with few stones remaining, were brought to light. 

 Meantime a deep trench was dug from the point of wall 

 originally found, when, to the delight of all engaged in the 

 work, the portcullis stone (F), in a beautiful state of preser- 

 vation, was laid bare, along with a piece of wall of Netherlaw 

 freestone. Undoubtedly the entrance to the castle had been 

 found, but, on careful examination, it was ascertained to be 

 of much later date than the masonry of the tower, over the 

 foundations of which it appeared to have been built. A cross 

 trench was made, but unfortunately the corresponding 

 grooved stone was amissing. A further search, however, 

 revealed the spring of another tower to the north (B). 

 This also was laid bare, and revealed the interesting fact that 

 it was provided with one buttress, which had originally been 

 of the same dimensions as those of the first tower, and further 

 strengthened in the centre with a double wall, forming a huge 



