Description

The monument comprises the remains of a multivallate fort and external ring ditch of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The fort is semi-circular, defined by a series of five ditches backing onto the break of slope above Thornton Burn. The outermost ditch has a diameter of approximately 180m while the innermost encloses an area approximately 80m across. The ditches measure from 5 to 8m in width with similar spaces between them. There are no visible indications of an entrance or of internal features. Some 30-40m N of the fort is a ring ditch with a diameter of approximately 10m, defined by a broad penannular ditch.

Between the fort and the burn, on an outcrop on the sharply sloping banks, is Innerwick Castle, a medieval fortification destroyed in 1547. This lies adjacent to the centre of the fort suggesting that the defences of the latter were extant at the time of the castle's construction.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features and an area around them in which traces of associated deposits may be expected to survive. It is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 220m NNE-SSW by 130m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of high status settlement and fort construction in the later prehistoric period. The siting of the later castle suggests that some degree of continuity of occupation into the medieval period is possible. This greatly enhances the potential of the monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 77 SW 20.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland