A skeleton discovered in Stirling Castle has shed new light on the violent life of a medieval knight.

Archaeologists believe that bones discovered under the stone-paved floor of a chapel in the castle may have belonged to an English knight named Robert Morley, who is recorded as having died during a tournament in 1388.

Analysis of the skeleton shows that its owner was in his mid-twenties when he died and had suffered several serious wounds in earlier fights.

He had survived for some time with a large arrowhead lodged in his chest and bone re-growth around a dent in the front of his skull indicates that he had also recovered from a severe blow from an axe.

Remarkably, neither killed him. The fatal wound was delivered by a sword, which sliced through his nose and jaw. His reconstructed skull indicates he was on the ground when it was struck.

The knight was laid to rest under the floor of a chapel near the castle’s royal apartments and his skeleton was excavated along with 11 others in 1997.

Research carried out at the time shed little light on his life but the skeleton was recently re-examined using the latest technology.

In addition to the three serious wounds, the knight lost a number of teeth — perhaps from a blow, or a fall from a horse while jousting. A large arrowhead found in the skeleton appeared to have entered through his back or under his arm. Crystalised matter attached to the arrowhead may have been from flies or other insect larvae and could have been from clothing the arrow forced into the wound.

Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, carried out the excavation and some of the research for Historic Scotland. He said: “This is a remarkable and important set of discoveries. There were a series of wounds, including a dent in the skull from a sword or axe, where bone had re-grown, showing that he had recovered.

“At first we had thought the arrow wound had been fatal but it now seems he had survived it and may have had his chest bound up.”

Mr Ewart said that the only obvious candidate for this warrior was Robert Morley.

The skeleton clearly showed the effects of riding on the ankles and his injuries were consistent with a life of hunting, jousting and foot tournaments show he was a seasoned fighter.

Peter Yeoman, Historic Scotland’s head of cultural resources, said: “We know little about this burial area but the evidence suggests it was sometimes used during extreme circumstances, for example to bury the dead during a siege.

“However, by using modern analysis techniques we have started to discover quite remarkable information about this man. It appears he died in his mid-twenties after a short and violent life.

“His legs were formed in a way that was consistent with spending a lot of time on horseback, and the upper body points to someone who was well-muscled, perhaps due to extensive training with medieval weapons.

“This evidence, and the fact that he was buried at the heart of a royal castle, suggests he was a person of prestige, possibly a knight.”

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