Description

The monument comprises a promontory fort and dun, probably dating from the Iron Age (between about 800 BC and AD 500). The fort is visible as a turf-covered outer bank and ditch with an inner ditch with causeway. The dun is visible as a crescent-shaped line of stonework. The fort and dun are partially overlain by a 20th century lighthouse, the above ground elements of which are excluded from the scheduling. The monument lies around 25m above sea level, occupying the promontory of Crammag Head. The site is bounded by rocky slopes to seaward on the north, south and west sides.

The fort comprises two lines of defence; the outer line is visible as a low turf and earth covered rampart with a ditch to the outside, and the inner is a partially rock cut ditch. The outer rampart is visible as a scatter of stones at its north end. At the south end, where it forms a more coherent structure, it measures approximately 4.5m wide by 0.5m high, while the outer ditch is up to 5.5m wide by 0.3m deep. A break at the southern end of the rampart indicates the likely position of an entrance. At around 20m west of the outer rampart, there is a narrow, partly rock-cut ditch with a central ramped causeway. The causeway is around 2.5m wide and faced on its south side with boulders. The south side of the inner ditch is around 6.5m wide by 1.1m deep and north of the causeway the ditch is around 9m wide and up to 1.3m deep. Immediately west of the causeway is a lighthouse (excluded from the schedule) which has been constructed on the eastern portion of the dun. West of the lighthouse base is a crescent of stonework representing the visible remains of the dun. The dun's eastern wall is evidenced by a scatter of stones. The basal course of the outer face of the wall, with granite blocks up to 1m in length, is visible in the western arc with up to three courses of masonry visible on the northwest.

The scheduled area is irregular, extending five metres eastwards from the landward edge of the fort's outer ditch. 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 schedule specifically excludes the above ground elements of the lighthouse and associated concrete bases and steps, above ground elements of post-and-wire fencing and the above ground elements of masts.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The national importance of the monument is demonstrated in the following way(s) (see Designations Policy and Selection Guidance, Annex 1, para 17):

a. The monument is of national importance because it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the past as a multi-phase Iron Age fort. It adds to our understanding of later prehistoric society in Scotland and the function, use and development of coastal forts and other defended sites.  

b. The monument retains structural and other physical attributes which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the past. The plan, although affected by the construction of the later lighthouse, remains clear and understandable with many features surviving as upstanding remains. There is significant potential for the survival of buried archaeological deposits within and beneath surviving structural elements. The monument can significantly add to our understanding of domestic settlement, agriculture and economy during later prehistory.

c. The monument is a rare example of a complex enclosed site surviving as a collection of defended features. It is unusual in southwest Scotland to have a site that survives as visible remains of a dun and multivallate fort, across possibly two or even three occupation or development phases.

d. The monument is a very good example of a small but complex fort dating to late prehistory, with a central dun and inner and outer defences. The fort is a good, representative example of its type, form and construction.  It is therefore an important and unusual example of this monument type.

e. The monument has research potential which could significantly contribute to our understanding of the past. It can tell us about the character, development and use of forts, and the nature of later prehistoric society, economy and social hierarchy in this area of Scotland and further afield. Further research and investigation of the surviving remains have the potential to explain the chronology of this complex site. Such a chronological explanation may help to inform our understanding of the development of similar prehistoric sites across Scotland.

f. The monument makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the historic landscape by its association with other prehistoric sites in the area, its coastal location and how its immediate topography was exploited to create a defended site.

Assessment of Cultural Significance

This statement of national importance has been informed by the following assessment of cultural significance:

Intrinsic characteristics (how the remains of a site or place contribute to our knowledge of the past)

The monument is a small yet complex prehistoric fort, visible as upstanding remains on a coastal promontory location. It survives as both buried and the upstanding remains.  The construction on the site of a lighthouse in 1913 has partly altered and obscured the dun remains. However, the plan of the monument is clear and understandable. A portion of the dun wall has not been affected by the lighthouse construction and there is the potential for archaeological deposits relating to the dun to be sealed beneath the lighthouse itself The inner ditch, causeway and outer rampart and ditch have survived the lighthouse development in a recognisable and understandable form.

The visible remains at Crammag Head suggest a defended site of multiple phases of construction and occupation, or re-occupation, throughout the Iron Age. The outer defensive rampart and ditch may represent the first phase of site formation. Such a defensive feature was typically constructed to delineate the promontory from the mainland. The rampart and ditch enclosed the land within the fort which was surrounded by steep coastal shoreline on all other sides. Around 20m west of the outer defence is the second inner defence. A natural crevice running roughly north-south across the narrow neck of the site has evidence for rock-cutting to enhance and exaggerate the feature. In the centre on the inner defence is a ramped causeway, supported by stone walling on the south face, that provided an access into the innermost, western, area of the site. This inner feature may represent a second phase of occupation, providing a further defensive line to the promontory fort. Finally, at the west of the site is the remains of a dun, a small sub-circular stone structure. This may have been a broch but that cannot be confirmed with current evidence due to the construction of the lighthouse on its eastern portion. The dun would have been a high status, complex structure and may represent a third phase of construction and occupation on the site. Duns often exhibited finer architectural and structural details than typically seen at contemporary forts - such as intramural cells, constructional voids and staircases. Such features are possibly preserved as buried remains at Crammag Head.     

There is significant potential for the survival of archaeological features and deposits, including occupation and abandonment debris, artefacts and environmental remains such as charcoal or pollen within the monument. It has the potential to add to our understanding of settlement, land-use and environment during later prehistory and to provide information about the economy, diet and social status of the occupants, as well as the structure of contemporary society and economy. Study of the monument's form and construction techniques compared with other forts would enhance our understanding of the development sequence of this site and of prehistoric forts in general.

Further scientific study of this site would allow us to develop a better understanding of the nature and chronology of the fort, including its date of origin, the character of the remains and the overall development sequence. This would also help us to understand the relationship between each of the defensive features – if any were contemporary and the order in which they were constructed, occupied, altered, abandoned or possibly re-occupied.

Contextual characteristics (how a site or place relates to its surroundings and/or to our existing knowledge of the past)

Forts and defended settlements are found throughout Scotland. This example is of particular significance because it is one of the few examples in the area with surviving upstanding remains. It is a relatively small but complex and likely multi-phase, defended site with clearly visible remains.

There are other sites in the vicinity which provide important context for the fort at Crammag Head. Dunman, fort, Slock Mill (scheduled monument SM1975; Canmore ID 60438) is located 1km to the southeast. Dunman is a well-preserved example of an Iron Age fort consisting of a single wall, with possibly multiple entrances, around the summit of a hill. Although this fort is of a very different form, the proximity of the two forts is of interest. There are also a number of nearby promontory forts including Cardryne, fort 800m SSW of (scheduled monument SM4758; Canmore ID 61084) 3.4km to the southeast and Two forts on Carrickcamrie and Dunorroch (scheduled monument SM1959; Canmore IDs 61046 and 61047) around 5.5km southeast. The distribution of forts along the coastline is of interest as it demonstrates the likely importance of the sea as a travel route for Iron Age society as well as the choice of utilising more easily defended costal locations.  There is potential to study these sites together to better understand their functions within the local communities, settlement hierarchy and possible chronological development in the area. They have the potential to help inform our understanding of possible interaction and relationship between prehistoric forts along the Mull of Galloway.

The fort occupies a prominent coastal landscape position on the promontory, bounded by steep slopes on the north, south and west sides. The advantages of this topography was artificially enhanced to create a strongly defended site. The monument has extensive views out to sea as a result of its position in the landscape. The monument may have been positioned here to observe or control movement along coastline below. The prominent siting of the fort may have also been a visible statement of presence and power to those living nearby or travelling by sea through the area.

Associative characteristics (how a site or place relates to people, events, and/or historic and social movements)

There are no known associative characteristics that contribute to this site's cultural significance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 60437 (accessed on 11/02/2021).

Dumfries and Galloway Council HER/SMR Reference MDG602 (accessed on 11/02/2021).

Feachem, R. (1963). A guide to prehistoric Scotland. London.

MacKie, E W. (2007). The Roundhouses, Brochs and Wheelhouses of Atlantic Scotland c.700 BC-AD 500: architecture and material culture, the Northern and Southern Mainland and the Western Islands, BAR British series 444 2 Vol.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/60437/

HER/SMR Reference

MDG602

Source: Historic Environment Scotland