Description

The monument comprises a prehistoric or early historic fort which occupies a detached and prominent rocky knoll situated in the central massif of Colonsay.

The defences comprise two walls, of which the inner follows the perimeter of the summit to enclose an area measuring some 20m by 18m; on all sides except the NW it is accompanied by an outer wall along the edge of the natural terrace below. The outer face of the summit wall is visible for much of its circuit, with up to six courses surviving on the NW. The spread of debris suggests that the wall was at least 4m thick. The entrance was on the NE. The area enclosed by the inner wall is occupied by the remains of a number of drystone buildings, including an oblong structure in the SW sector which measures 5.6m by 3.2m. These buildings may be the remains of medieval occupation of the site, attested by the inscription on an early sixteenth century graveslab at Iona which names Malcolm MacDuffie, 'Lord of Dunevin in Colonsay'.

The area to be scheduled measures 100m from N to S by 60m transversely, to include the fort and an area around in which associated remains are likely to survive, as marked in red on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it is a well preserved multi-period monument which has the potential to provide information about the development of later prehistoric and medieval settlement and society. The probable medieval settlement, as suggested by the documentation, is rare and suggests that this site may have been the most important settlement on the island for many centuries, including, possibly, the early historic period.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NR39SE 3.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland