Description

The monument is the remains of a fort and settlement of probable Iron Age date (800BC – AD400).The fort and settlement are roughly circular on plan, defined by three ramparts. It survives as upstanding earthworks on a shoulder of high ground, at about 260m above sea level. 

The surviving earthworks suggest two phases of construction, with a later settlement inserted into an earlier fort. The fort measures about 115m in diameter within two substantial ramparts with external ditches. The settlement has been built in the interior of the fort. It measures about 90m diameter within a single rampart. Two or three stone-based roundhouses have been recorded adjacent to the settlement rampart on the north and probably relate to this phase of occupation.

The scheduled area is a clipped circle, measuring a maximum of 190m along its northeast/southwest axis. 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 scheduling specifically excludes the above ground elements of all field walls and fences, 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 well-preserved multi-phased fort and settlement of probable Iron Age date. It has the potential to add to our understanding of Iron Age society in southern Scotland and the function, use and development of forts and other defended sites. The monument survives as upstanding turf covered ramparts and ditches and there is significant potential for the survival of buried archaeological deposits within and around the site. The monument can significantly add to our understanding of domestic settlement, society, agriculture and economy during the Iron Age. It is part of a wider cluster of later prehistoric sites and can tell us about the character, development and use of forts, and the nature of Iron Age society, economy and social hierarchy in southern Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

trove.scot

https://www.trove.scot/place/56025/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland