Description

The monument comprises the remains of a fort dating from the Iron Age (around 500 BC to AD 500). The monument was originally scheduled in 1968, but the area covered by the designation did not relate accurately to the remains on the ground. The current rescheduling rectifies this.

The fort is situated on the summit of White Hill, with steep drops to the NW, SW and SE. A series of defensive enclosures is visible. The innermost defences comprise two, roughly concentric, palisaded enclosures (stout fences), enclosed by the remains of three defensive ramparts, possibly incomplete.

The inner palisade encompasses a regular oval-shaped area measuring 133m from NE to SW by 80m transversely; the line of the palisade is visible as a shallow trench up to 1m wide. The distance between the inner and outer palisades ranges from 8m to 18m, although the outer palisade can only be traced over half the circuit and is not visible on the N and S arcs. Entrance gaps up to 6m wide are positioned in the centre of the NE and SW sides of both palisaded enclosures.

Outwith the palisades lie three incomplete lines of defence. The innermost comprises the remains of a low rampart with an external quarry ditch. A sector of the rampart on the S side has not been completed; instead a shallow palisade trench is visible. There are two entrances on the NE and SW respectively, in line with those of the palisades.

The second line of defence is visible on the W as a low bank with external quarry ditch. A shallow palisade trench runs from the SW end of this bank around the SW face of the hill; it may originally have been continuous around the S face, joining a further short stretch of palisade trench visible on the SE. The third line of defence lies further to the W and consists simply of a quarried terrace. Both the second and third lines of defence have associated quarry pits.

The area to be scheduled includes the remains described and an area around them in which associated evidence may be expected to survive. The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan and measures a maximum of 307m from E to W by 166m transversely, as shown in red on the attached map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric settlement, economy and social organisation. The probability that the site is multi-period, with the various defences being constructed at different times, further enhances its importance, as does its proximity to other settlement sites of similar date but different form.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NT 03 SE 15.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland