Description

The monument comprises the truncated earthwork remains of a fort including sections of bank and ditch, thought to date from the Iron Age (800 BC – AD 400) onwards. The surviving area of the fort occupies the eastern side of a promontory at the end of a natural scarp feature, in mature deciduous woodland, at approximately 10m above sea level. 

The scheduled area is irregular. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above ground elements of all post and wire fencing are excluded from the schedule in order to allow for their maintenance. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past as a fortified enclosure or promontory fort, dating from the Iron Age (800 BC – AD 400). The monument has previously been truncated by significant groundworks across its western half. Surviving features include sections of earthen rampart, the interior area and an artificially enhanced natural slope on the fort's east side. These features are likely to contain significant archaeological potential in the structural, artefactual and ecofactual materials surviving in the buried layers. The monument can therefore help us understand more about the nature of prehistoric occupation here and the character and function of later prehistoric defended enclosures, during its construction, use and abandonment. As a promontory fort, it is a component of the wider landscape, occupying an inland promontory at a strategic location, upstream of the Beauly Firth and dominating locally high ground overlooking the River Beauly. It is a component of a large local cluster of broadly contemporary forts around key headlands, coastal areas and natural routeways in this part of Scotland. As such it can enhance our understanding of prehistoric life in the wider region. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland