Drumelzier, in the Scottish Borders, has long been associated with the legendary figure of Merlin, reputedly imprisoned there by a Dark Age king and buried nearby on the banks of the River Tweed and the local Powsail Burn. This, according to the Vita Merlini Sylvestris – The Life of Merlin of the Forest – a medieval manuscript held in the British Library.
In 2022, a team of volunteers from across Scotland, led by GUARD Archaeology, set out to investigate the archaeological roots of this local legend. Their findings, recently published, reveal the startling survival of early medieval cultural heritage in southern Scotland.
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A geophysical survey identified an archaeological feature resembling a grave near the reputed site of Merlin’s Grave at Drumelzier.
Excavations at Tinnis Fort, which overlooks Merlin’s Grave, revealed that this prominent hillfort was occupied around the late sixth and early seventh centuries AD, precisely when the story is set. The fort bears the hallmarks of a lordly stronghold from that time.
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Further excavations at the Thirlestane Barrows, across the Tweed, discovered that between the late third and late sixth centuries AD, a square barrow was constructed over the graves of two individuals of exceptional elite status.
The Drumelzier legend contains elements of pre-Christian customs, ancient Cumbric names, and is associated with local sites. Archaeology now suggests these sites could credibly have inspired the story. Given the number of hillforts in the area, many of which are much older Iron Age settlements, it is remarkable that the one hillfort linked to this legend dates exactly to the period in which the story is set—especially when post-Roman hillforts are rare.
While the new archaeological evidence doesn’t prove the truth of the local legend, it does suggest that, rather than being imported by a wandering medieval storyteller, the tale likely originated in Drumelzier itself, possibly as a folk memory. Over the centuries, it was embellished, spreading far and wide, eventually evolving beyond its original form.
Unlike the classic depiction of Merlin as the wise and respected adviser to King Arthur, the Drumelzier legend portrays a much darker figure: a rather pitiful man prone to nonsensical riddles and bewildering prophecies, kept prisoner by a petty tyrant of a forgotten kingdom, and ultimately meeting a gruesome death, a victim of royal intrigue.
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The archaeological findings from both the prehistoric and medieval periods suggest this was not the only story to emerge from the region during the community project.
A scatter of Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flint blade fragments was found at the summit of Tinnis, hinting at some of the earliest people to climb this prominent hill and gaze out across a Tweed Valley that looked quite different from today.
The vitrified ramparts at Tinnis attest to the fall of a Late Iron Age hillfort, perhaps during a forgotten conflict, when prominent households vied for power, laying the foundations of petty kingdoms. Around 200 years after the fort was destroyed by fire, the hilltop was reoccupied, and the early medieval fort was built during a period when this part of the Scottish Borders belonged to the kingdom of Strathclyde.
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In the fourteenth century, a castle was built at Tinnis by the fearsome Tweedies of Drumelzier. They held the stronghold for the Kings of Scotland from about 1366 until around 1525, defending against English raids from the south and terrorising their neighbours.
Reconstruction of Tinnis Castle during the fifteenth century (illustration by Chris Mitchell).
The team also discovered that the Thirlestane square barrow had been added to a much earlier group of Bronze Age round barrows. These Bronze Age monuments evidently retained some significance in the landscape for a square barrow to be constructed so close, despite an intervening two millennia.
It seems the ancient people of Tweeddale were aware of the history beneath their feet, and through local folklore, passed on stories of their past.
The Drumelzier’s Hidden Heritage project was a collaboration between the Arthur Trail Association, local heritage groups, volunteers, Magnitude Surveys and GUARD Archaeology Ltd, funded by SSE Renewables Clyde Borders Community Fund, Fallago Environment Fund, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Dr Euan MacKie Legacy Fund, Glenkerie Community Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Hunter Archaeological and Historical Trust, and the Strathmartine Trust.
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ARO56: Unearthing Ancient Tweeddale: Tinnis Castle, Thirlestane Barrows and Merlin’s Grave by Ronan Toolis, Amanda Gilmore, Thomas Muir, Laura Muser and Alun Woodward is freely available to download from Archaeology Reports Online.
Top Image: A reconstruction of Tinnis Fort around AD 600 (illustration by Chris Mitchell).
Drumelzier, in the Scottish Borders, has long been associated with the legendary figure of Merlin, reputedly imprisoned there by a Dark Age king and buried nearby on the banks of the River Tweed and the local Powsail Burn. This, according to the Vita Merlini Sylvestris – The Life of Merlin of the Forest – a medieval manuscript held in the British Library.
In 2022, a team of volunteers from across Scotland, led by GUARD Archaeology, set out to investigate the archaeological roots of this local legend. Their findings, recently published, reveal the startling survival of early medieval cultural heritage in southern Scotland.
A geophysical survey identified an archaeological feature resembling a grave near the reputed site of Merlin’s Grave at Drumelzier.
Excavations at Tinnis Fort, which overlooks Merlin’s Grave, revealed that this prominent hillfort was occupied around the late sixth and early seventh centuries AD, precisely when the story is set. The fort bears the hallmarks of a lordly stronghold from that time.
Further excavations at the Thirlestane Barrows, across the Tweed, discovered that between the late third and late sixth centuries AD, a square barrow was constructed over the graves of two individuals of exceptional elite status.
The Drumelzier legend contains elements of pre-Christian customs, ancient Cumbric names, and is associated with local sites. Archaeology now suggests these sites could credibly have inspired the story. Given the number of hillforts in the area, many of which are much older Iron Age settlements, it is remarkable that the one hillfort linked to this legend dates exactly to the period in which the story is set—especially when post-Roman hillforts are rare.
While the new archaeological evidence doesn’t prove the truth of the local legend, it does suggest that, rather than being imported by a wandering medieval storyteller, the tale likely originated in Drumelzier itself, possibly as a folk memory. Over the centuries, it was embellished, spreading far and wide, eventually evolving beyond its original form.
Unlike the classic depiction of Merlin as the wise and respected adviser to King Arthur, the Drumelzier legend portrays a much darker figure: a rather pitiful man prone to nonsensical riddles and bewildering prophecies, kept prisoner by a petty tyrant of a forgotten kingdom, and ultimately meeting a gruesome death, a victim of royal intrigue.
The archaeological findings from both the prehistoric and medieval periods suggest this was not the only story to emerge from the region during the community project.
A scatter of Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flint blade fragments was found at the summit of Tinnis, hinting at some of the earliest people to climb this prominent hill and gaze out across a Tweed Valley that looked quite different from today.
The vitrified ramparts at Tinnis attest to the fall of a Late Iron Age hillfort, perhaps during a forgotten conflict, when prominent households vied for power, laying the foundations of petty kingdoms. Around 200 years after the fort was destroyed by fire, the hilltop was reoccupied, and the early medieval fort was built during a period when this part of the Scottish Borders belonged to the kingdom of Strathclyde.
In the fourteenth century, a castle was built at Tinnis by the fearsome Tweedies of Drumelzier. They held the stronghold for the Kings of Scotland from about 1366 until around 1525, defending against English raids from the south and terrorising their neighbours.
The team also discovered that the Thirlestane square barrow had been added to a much earlier group of Bronze Age round barrows. These Bronze Age monuments evidently retained some significance in the landscape for a square barrow to be constructed so close, despite an intervening two millennia.
It seems the ancient people of Tweeddale were aware of the history beneath their feet, and through local folklore, passed on stories of their past.
The Drumelzier’s Hidden Heritage project was a collaboration between the Arthur Trail Association, local heritage groups, volunteers, Magnitude Surveys and GUARD Archaeology Ltd, funded by SSE Renewables Clyde Borders Community Fund, Fallago Environment Fund, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Dr Euan MacKie Legacy Fund, Glenkerie Community Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Hunter Archaeological and Historical Trust, and the Strathmartine Trust.
ARO56: Unearthing Ancient Tweeddale: Tinnis Castle, Thirlestane Barrows and Merlin’s Grave by Ronan Toolis, Amanda Gilmore, Thomas Muir, Laura Muser and Alun Woodward is freely available to download from Archaeology Reports Online.
Top Image: A reconstruction of Tinnis Fort around AD 600 (illustration by Chris Mitchell).
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