Description

The monument is a small Iron-Age dun situated on top of a small rocky knoll, on a sloping hillside 750m ENE of the large fort at Castle Findlay.

The dun measures 20m from NE to SW, and 14m from NW to SE, and occupies most of the flat summit of the knoll. Several base stones of the outer wall face survive in place in the NW and SE, with some rubble wall-fill exposed in the NW. Turf-covered banks indicate the line of the walls elsewhere. In the NE and SW quarters, where the wall had overlaid bare rock, it has tumbled down the side of the knoll, leaving no trace. No entrance or internal features can be identified. An Ordnance Survey trig point is built within the dun.

The area to be scheduled is an irregular polygon on plan, to include the remains described and an area around in which evidence relating to the dun's construction and use is likely to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: This small Iron Age dun is in good condition, retaining outer facing stones, as well as some wall-fill. Lack of cultivation due to its position, as well as turf banks covering walls, means that the potential for preservation of internal features and evidence relating to the site's construction and use is high.

Contextual characteristics: Their builders often sited Iron Age duns on rocky knolls for a variety of potential reasons: defence; availability of building material; visibility within the landscape; avoiding the use of land that could otherwise be cultivated. Spatial analysis of the site's relationship with nearby Iron Age duns and forts in the wider landscape may enhance our understanding of the role of such structures, particularly about society and economy. Comparison of the dun with others will enable a better understanding of the construction and form of Iron Age drystone structures.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it is a good example of an Iron Age dun, with parts of the outer wall-face and rubble wall-core remaining, associated with a landscape of comparable structures. It has the capacity to enhance our understanding of duns as a whole and increase our understanding of site intervisibility. It has the potential to provide well-preserved archaeological deposits within its interior. Its loss would impede our future ability to appreciate and understand the Iron-Age landscape and its inhabitants.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the site as NH85SE 16.

References:

Bain G 1893, HISTORY OF NAIRNSHIRE, NAIRN.

RCAHMS 1978, THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MONUMENTS OF NAIRN DISTRICT, HIGHLAND REGION, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series No. 5, 11, No. 48, Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland