Excavations in Castletown, Isle of Man, 1989-92

This volume is a full report on three excavations carried out in Castletown: Castle Rushen (1989); Bank Street (1989); and Castle Rushen Stores (1992). The first, carried out by David Freke, is concerned with the medieval and post-medieval castle; the second, carried out by Andrew Johnson, and the third, carried out by David Higgins, reveal a developing urban archaeology in the 16th century and later. The Castle Rushen Stores excavation, in particular, is important as the first major urban excavation on the Isle of Man. An introductory chapter sets the context for the excavations in historical, cultural and geographical terms. Part 1 considers the Castle Rushen excavation, in general and in terms of a wide range of specialist information - bone implements, coins, clay pipes, flint, glass, ironwork, non-ferrous metal, pottery, and stone and plaster. Part 2 reports on the Bank Street excavation and presents the pottery evidence found on the site. In Part 3 a report on the Castle Rushen Stores excavation is followed by the specialist evidence - bone implements, brick and clay, coal, coins, clay pipes, flint, floor tiles, glass, ironwork, non-ferrous metals, pottery, and slag. The environmental evidence (animal and fish bone, bird bone, molluscs) for both the Castle Rushen and Castle Rushen Stores excavations is considered in Part 4. A concluding chapter reviews the results of the excavations and suggests directions for future research.