Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC0186 Cairn Pat, Wigtownshire (Cairn Piot)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dumfries & Galloway MDG13140 (None)

NMR:  NX 05 NW 1 (60559)

SM:  1958

NGR:  NX 0442 5632

X:  204420  Y:  556320  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort, which with the exception of the promontory enclosure on the Mull of Galloway is the largest of those on the Rhinns of Galloway, is situated on the summit of Cairn Pat, a hill with commanding views in every direction. Slightly oval on plan, it measures 132m from N to S by 118m transversely (1.15ha) within a pair of ramparts set between 5.5m and 9.5m apart. A third rampart springs from the outer on the SW and swings round the S flank of the fort to probably return on the SSE, but this junction has been destroyed; another low bank with an external ditch lies outside the third rampart on the SW and can be traced in intermittent scatters of stones around the W side, finally petering out on the N. All the ramparts have been extensively robbed and in places are difficult to follow on the ground, but the innermost seems to have been the thickest, ranging from a bank of rubble up to 4.8m thick by 0.8m high on the S to a stony scarp some 1.5m high on the N, whereas the outer of this pair is spread up to 3.1m thick by a maximum of 0.6m high externally; around the S quarter, however, it appears to be flanked internally by a shallow quarry ditch. The third rampart forms a bank only 2m thick by 0.3m high. As a result of the robbing it is also difficult to be certain of the position of any entrances, though there are traces of returns linking the concentric inner pair of ramparts on the WSW. Other gaps on the NE appear modern, while on the SSE a plan drawn up in 1955 shows the ramparts crossing the line of the access road up to the telecommunication masts on the summit; this follows a natural hollow that extends up into the interior between a high rock outcrop on the W and a lower natural scarp on the E, but there is no evidence to show that this was originally exploited as an entrance. The interior is featureless and much of the summit area is made up of exposed bedrock.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -562060  Y:  7335390  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.049075365820507  Latitude:  54.86334702917723  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Dumfries & Galloway

Historic County:  Wigtownshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Portpatrick

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Mainly rough pasture, but with scattered gorse bushes. Outcrop is generally close beneath the turf and is visible over much of the summit area.

Current Use:
Woodland  
Commercial Forestry Plantation  
Parkland  
Pasture (Grazing)  
Arable  
Scrub/Bracken  
Bare Outcrop  
Heather/Moorland  
Heath  
Built-up  
Coastal Grassland  
Other  

Landscape

Hillfort Type

None

Type:
Contour Fort  
Partial Contour Fort  
Promontory Fort  
Hillslope Fort  
Level Terrain Fort  
Marsh Fort  
Multiple Enclosure Fort  

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop  
Coastal Promontory  
Inland Promontory  
Valley Bottom  
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop  
Ridge  
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp  
Hillslope  
Lowland  
Spur  

Dominant Topographic Feature:  A commanding and prominent hilltop with views dominating the whole of the Rhinns.

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  175.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There are neither stratified artefacts nor radiocarbon dates to provide a chronology for the defences.

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC  
1200BC - 800BC  
800BC - 400BC  
400BC - AD50  
AD50 - AD400  
AD400 - AD 800  
Post AD800  
Unknown  

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First noted by the OS surveyors in 1847, it was not surveyed at 1:2500 until 1893. Subsequently described in the County Inventory for Wigtownshire (RCAHMS 1912, 141, No. 413), in 1955 it was planned in more detail by RCAHMS. Subsequent visits have been carried out in 1968 by the OS and in 1984 by RCAHMS again. A watching brief was maintained for the digging of foundations within the telecommunications compound; no archaeological features were observed and the whole of the fenced area has been extensively disturbed (Fulford 2001, 28).

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1847):   Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map (Wigtownshire 1849, sheet 16)
Earthwork Survey (1893):   OS 1:2500 map (Wigtownshire 1894, sheet 17.11)
Other (1911):   Description (RCAHMS 1912, 141, No. 413)
Earthwork Survey (1955):   1:400 (RCAHMS WGD 6/1-3)
Other (1968):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1984):   Description by RCAHMS
Other (1995):   Scheduled; probably a rescheduling from c.1938/9
Excavation (2001):   Watching brief (Fulford 2001, 28)
Other (2014):   Visit by the Hillfort Study Group

Interior Features

Featureless

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features  
Round Stone Structures  
Rectangular Stone Structures  
Curvilinear Platforms  
Other Roundhouse Evidence  
Pits  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  

Excavation

Nothing found

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics  
Pits  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Roads/Tracks  
Quarry Hollows  
Other  
Nothing Found  

Finds

Stone lamp was discovered during drainage operations NE of the fort (See Canmore NX05NW 7).

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

See main summary

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
4:   at least three gaps are related to stone-robbing or the creation of modern access to the summit.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Passage-way/Corridor (West):   Traces of returns linking the two ramparts to either side of the gap.

Enclosing Works

A concentric pair of ramparts, with at least one outer rampart on the southern quarter, and traces of another low bank around the W, though the relationship of this to the defences is unknown.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.15ha.
Total:   1.15ha.

Total Footprint Area:  2.06ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   3

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  
Unknown  

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate  
Univallate  
Partial Bivallate  
Bivallate  
Partial Multivallate  
Multivallate  

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Rubble  
Wall-walk  
Evidence of Timber  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
Other  

Excavated Evidence

Of the defences; limited evaluation within interior

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None  
Earthen Bank  
Stone Wall  
Murus Duplex  
Timber-framed  
Timber-laced  
Vitrification  
Other Burning  
Palisade  
Counter Scarp Bank  
Berm  
Unfinished  
No Known Excavation  
Other  

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   On the SW there are traces of an internal quarry to the rear of the outer of the pair of ramparts.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Feachem, R (1963) A guide to prehistoric Scotland, London (p 160)

Fulford, H (2001) 'Cairnpat, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway (Portpatrick parish), watching brief', Discovery Excav Scot 2 (2001), 28.

RCAHMS (1912) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Fourth report and inventory of monuments and constructions in Galloway, 1, county of Wigtown, Edinburgh.



Terms of Use

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:

Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk


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