 Illegal digging by unknown parties in 1999 and 2002 necessitated remedial work and test pitting.In 2007, full-scale excavations at Buckton Castle began with the aim of establishing the date and history of the site.Across three seasons – 2007, 2008, and 2010 – trenches were opened across the ditch, the northern entrance, the gap in the circuit of earthworks on the south side, the interior, and the curtain wall.