Viking sword among artefacts on display at Dumbarton Castle
The exhibition features historic objects from the HES collection and loaned items from English Heritage and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum.
Viking sword pommel, AD 800-900, on loan from the Hunterian, University of Glasgow (Image: Scott Louden) The exhibition also features a virtual tour of the Castle.
Artefacts discovered during a 1970s excavation of Dumbarton Rock are also on loan from the Hunterian Museum.
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This includes iron arrowheads dated around 1300 from the Wars of Independence, silver coins from the reigns of Edward I and Edward II, glass beads, and fragments more than 1,500 years old.
The exhibition also includes a replica of a toucan embroidery panel created by Mary, Queen of Scots during her imprisonment in England, an early 19th-century jewellery box thought to have been made by a French prisoner held at Dumbarton Castle during the Napoleonic wars, and three carved stones weighing up to 183kg dating as far back as the 10th century.
Iron arrowhead dating from the Wars of Independence (1296-1329), on loan from the Hunterian, University of Glasgow (Image: Scott Louden) Among the loaned items from English Heritage is a 150kg cannonball made to be fired from Mons Meg, a medieval cannon.
Stephen Duncan, director of marketing and engagement at HES, said: "This exciting new exhibition will allow visitors to discover the stories of Dumbarton Castle through the historic artefacts discovered there, giving a window into the extraordinary past of one of Scotland's oldest castles.
"It is a fantastic experience for anyone interested in exploring 1,600 years of Scottish history."
Jewellery box, believed to have been made by French prisoners held at Dumbarton Castle around 1815, Historic Environment Scotland collection (Image: Scott Louden) Paul Neeson, chair of Dumbarton Castle Society, said: "This new exhibition is a welcome addition to Dumbarton Castle.
"To be able to display iconic and historic artefacts and interpretation to describe and illustrate the history of these items alongside the long and fascinating history of Dumbarton Castle and the legends associated with it will be a huge boost.'
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