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Stirling Castle skeleton identified as likely first confirmed trebuchet casualty

Archaeologists identified 'Skeleton 150,' excavated beneath Stirling Castle's chapel in 1997, as a likely first archaeological case of a person killed by a trebuchet. The skeleton dates to the early 1300s and shows more than 160 fractures plus cut marks, puncture wounds and blunt-force trauma. Burial beneath the chapel and the injury pattern link the death to the sieges of Stirling Castle, which fell to Edward I in 1304, providing direct physical evidence of siege-weapon casualties.

• Skeleton 150 was recovered during 1997 excavations beneath Stirling Castle’s chapel and is dated to the 1300s.
• The remains show over 160 fractures as well as cut marks, puncture wounds and blunt-force trauma.
• The five violently injured skeletons were buried beneath the chapel rather than outside the walls, indicating they likely died during the castle’s sieges.
• Researchers interpret Skeleton 150’s injury pattern as consistent with being struck by a large projectile from a trebuchet, making it the earliest likely confirmed trebuchet casualty in the archaeological record.