A rare gravoir, a medieval hairstyling tool, has been discovered at Eilean Donan castle at Dornie, in the western Highlands of Scotland. It is one of only three examples ever found in the UK, and the first of them to be found in Scotland.
The tool dates to the 13th century and is made of red deer antler. It a single piece: an elaborately carved handle depicting a hooded figure in a draped robe holding a book and a blunt tapering point.
Dr Blackwell, senior curator of medieval archaeology and history at [National Museums Scotland], said the gravoir would likely have been part of a set that had also included a mirror and a comb.
She said: “The gravoir would have been used to part hair neatly and help to make elaborate hairstyles – they are incredibly rare objects.
“They originated from France where the fashion for creating elaborate hairstyles seems to have spread through northern Europe around the 13th Century.”
French gravoirs were typically made of ivory. That makes this example even more unusual in that it was a French object made locally of local materials.
The original castle was built in the 13th century on the tiny island of Eilean Donan at the meeting point of three sea lochs. It was an important defensive fortification of the local Gaelic lords against the Vikings who controlled most of the area at that time. It reached its largest extent in the 14th century.
It became a stronghold of Clan Mackenzie, perhaps as early as the middle of the 14th century, and the castle was the setting for many a clan feud clash. The Mackenzies sided with the Jacobites in the uprising of 1715, but by then the castle was in parlous condition. In 1719, pro-Jacobite Spanish soldiers and a 343 barrels of gunpowder were garrisoned in the castle. The English caught wind of an upcoming delivery of weapons from Spain and sent warships to intercept. They bombarded the castle for three days, but even roofless and decrepit, the castle still held out against the assault, thanks to its phenomenal walls, 14 feet thick in some areas. Finally the English troops disembarked, defeated the 46 Spanish defenders by hand and finally brought down the castle by igniting all 343 barrels of gunpower.
For 200 years the castle was just a ruin. The current castle was built in the 1920s and its nostalgic fantasy castle beauty and picturesque location have made it an iconic image of Scotland, seen in many advertisements, television programs and films.
With few traces of the original castle remaining, little is known about life at Eilean Donan in its 13th and 14th century heyday. The Conchra Charitable Trust, owner of the castle, commissioned a series of excavations to uncover more information.
In addition to the gravoir, the excavations have unearthed brooches, game pieces, animal bones, an iron jaw harp and ceramic crucibles used to melt copper, silver and gold. The crucibles are evidence that metal objects were manufactured at the castle. National Museums Scotland researchers say it is one of the most important collections of medieval metalworking tools in the UK.
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