Only in two locations near the entrance tower did the archaeologists find earthenware dating from the golden age of the castle, i.e. the period from the second half of the 15th century to the first half of the 16th century. The presence of this earthenware indicates a gradual filling of the garderobe chutes as from the 15th century up to the late 16th/17th century. The discovery of fragments of niche tiles from luxury tiled stoves also clearly indicate the higher social status of the inhabitants. At that time, the castle was still in the hands of the Witthem lords, who in that period had close ties with the Burgundian court. Picture of chute 5: Analysis of the outlflow also suggests a period of general decline between the second half of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century. Presumably, a political conflict and the ensuing siege gave rise to this decline. Around the southern tower, a fan-shaped concentration of bricks consisting of different wall sections and brick rubble was found. The presence of five cast-iron cannonballs between the wall sections indicate that these ended up in the moat during a heavy artillery bombardment around 1600. The fact that hardly any finds dating back later than the first half of the 17th century were recovered, clearly shows that the castle was inhabited only occasionally after the siege. This finding confirms historical records that report only a few individual inhabitants from the 17th century onwards. In the early 18th century, the castle passed into the hands of the Arenberg family, who never actually lived in the castle.
