Are scientists on the right track identifying the skeleton of the Stirling knight as perhaps being that of Sir John de Strychley?. The theory was put forward by forensic anthropologists from Dundee University in BBC 2’s History Cold Case series which examined the bones that were discovered in a lost royal chapel.

The experts put together all the evidence and suggested that Sir John, a member of the English garrison which to fight of the Scots in the siege of 1341, fitted the bill. However, archaeology tends to be a matter of possible rather than definite answers, so we have been asking for your views.

One member of the public asks if the skeleton might be that of William Wallace’s co-victor at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Todd Ferguson, an expat living in Australia, contacted us to say: “Could it be Andrew de Moray? He was mortally wounded at Stirling Bridge and it's entirely possible he was moved to the castle. “No one really knows where he was buried and no one really made a big deal about him after the Wars of Independence.” He listed several reasons for the suggestion.

1) The carbon dating indicated the knight could have died around 1297
2) Both died from battle wounds
3) They were both warriors, so could have suffered other wounds
4) They were roughly the same age, de Moray would have been 20-25
6) Andrew De Moray's position as a co-leader would have warranted him being buried at the Royal Chapel at Stirling Castle.

What the experts say

Shown below is some of the evidence that was used for the BBC programme;

Radio Carbon dating: A sample of bone was tested which showed the man probably died between 1290 and 1400.

Diet: The University of Dundee tested isotopes for diet which revealed that the man ate up to 30% sea fish. This is high by today’s standard but consistent with a medieval urban diet.

Origins: The isotopic data showed that from the ages of 8 to 15 he wasn’t growing up in Scotland at all, but somewhere in southern England or northern France.

Cause of Death: The arrow could have been the cause of death, but there was only a limited amount of evidence for associated bone damage. Arrows, however, often went through soft tissue. The arrowhead found in the skeleton was of a type used in warfare and hunting. Its barbs were designed to rip flesh, cause maximum haemorrhaging and only to be removed by pushing the arrowhead through the body.

Type of burial: The knight was probably only buried in the chapel because of extreme circumstances which stopped him being buried beyond the castle walls – a siege is a good explanation. To have been placed in such a prestigious spot also suggests he was important.

Who was he? Was he a Scot, English or even French? Perhaps he had been held prisoner as a boy in England, or as an adult in Scotland. The National Archive has documents relating to captives from the period and to the English Garrison at Stirling. These allowed the researchers to identify 14th-century men who might have had a similar experience to ours. They felt Sir John de Strychley was the best candidate.

What do you think? Give us your comments below

We’re harking back to the days when dancing was rather more elegant than in the clubs and discos of modern Scotland. It’s a lovely idea, up to 30 primary age children are being invited to join our Renaissance Dance Workshops in June. They’ll dress up in costume and learn the kind of steps that would have been practised by Mary, Queen of Scots and her childhood friends in the castle’s royal palace in the 1540s.

The sessions are being led by our education officer Kirsten Wood and will be followed by a little public performance in the Chapel Royal. This is the kind of activity I love to see taking place, because they give children and parents such pleasure – and it’s a great chance for photos for the family album. Twenty years on you’ll be saying “Oh, do you remember this”.

The workshops are on June 26th and 27th (call 01786 431321 for details) and are just couple of weeks after one of our regular favourites, a 21 gun salute. This takes place on June 12th to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. The salutes always bring a sense of occasion to the castle.

Even sooner, and only if you are reading this before 9pm on Thursday June 20th, you can soon settle down in front of the TV and get a glimpse of medieval life at the castle. The BBC 2 History Cold Case series tries to unravel the identity of a knight found buried in a lost royal chapel. It’s exciting stuff and if you’ve missed it you can still watch it on BBC iplayer

If you catch the programme, let us know what you think? Are the experts right about who he was and where he came from, or could there be other explanations email hs.stirlingcastle@scotland.gsi.gov.uk and let us know.

Bulbs, bees and bat boxes are taking up a fair bit of my time at the moment. As the castle’s ‘green champion’ it’s up to me to make sure we are as environmentally friendly as possible. It helps that this is the kind of place where you can see that the effort is worthwhile. The Forth winds below us, sustaining the plants and wildlife all across the huge plain that stretches out each side of the castle. So we’ve been working hard on cutting out any chemical nasties that could get flushed through our drains and into the river.

 At the same time we’re hoping to do our bit to combat the drastic decline in bumble bees by creating little underground nests at the back of the flower beds. Lose the bees and we’ll have no flowers, fruit or crops. So that would mean a hard time for us humans and farewell to the kestrels, sparrow hawks, robins, wrens, jackdaws and other birds that thrive within our walls and in the grass and woodland around the castle rock.

 We have a thriving colony of bats which roost under some roofing near the Great Hall, and hope to boost the numbers by putting up bat boxes. They are great little creatures, masters of twilight flight, whose ancestors have probably been here as long as the castle itself.

 And bulbs, well what can I say? LED ones are immeasurably more energy efficient than standard ones – we are trying them out in the Great Hall and other sites around the Castle to see if they do the job we need. We are also looking to install new boilers which will cut costs and consumption.

 In fact we are pretty good on the environmental front and are gold-rated in the national Green Tourism Business Scheme. There’s always more that can be done, but the rewards can be quite satisfying, as I’ve found out by making sure I practice at home what I preach at the castle. In fact, a while ago my electricity company called because they could barely believe how little power I use – a bit later I got a nice rebate. Nice to feel greener and better off all at once.
 
By Finlay Lumsden, Green Champion.