Description

The monument consists of an Iron Age hillfort situated on a knoll on the S slope of Grennan Hill, about 250m from the summit.

The fort is oval on plan. The inner area is 46m E-W by 24m. This is enclosed by a deep ditch on the N and W and by very steep slopes elsewhere: almost vertical on the E side. The ditch is up to 11.5m wide and 3.5m deep. Outside it is a bank up to 0.8m high. The ditch has a low internal rampart on the W side. Neither ditch nor rampart is continued on the E side, where the vertical rock face appears to have been adequate defence, nor is the ditch very pronounced on the S side.

The entrance has been on the NE side, entering the fort at a diagonal angle to the ditch and bank. Two level areas about 5m in diameter within the interior may be the sites of circular houses contemporary with the fort. The area to be scheduled is approximately oval, measuring a maximum of 95m NW-SE by 70m, to include the fort and its outer defences, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a fine example of a small Iron Age hillfort, which well illustrates the use of natural topography to minimise necessary defensive works. It has the potential, through excavation and analysis, to provide important information about prehistoric defensive architecture and domestic economy.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NX 89 NW 7.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland