Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland
SC0215: Back Bay   | |
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HER:  Dumfries & Galloway MDG2339
NMR:  NX 33 NE 2 (62667)
SM:  1979
NGR:  NX 3696 3932
X:  236960  Y:  539320  (EPSG:27700)
Boundary:  ✗
Summary
This promontory work occupies a precipitous position on the cliffs along the SW coast of the Machars and is undercut by sea caves, the mouths of which have probably receded back into the top of the promontory since its construction. The defences, which cut off the approach from the N, comprise a stone wall some 2.4m thick where the faces survive, fronted with a ditch about 8.5m in breadth by up to 2.5m in depth externally. A causeway towards the E side of the promontory corresponds to an entrance 1.5m wide through the wall to provide access into the interior, which measures 56m from N to S by up to 23m transversely (0.1ha); the way the arc of defences meets the cliff-edge on the landward side a cleft above one of the sea caves suggests that the interior was once larger, but probably never more than about 0.13ha. The foundations of several structures can be seen in the immediate rear of the wall, and in 1955 RCAHMS speculated that these and the wall itself might be the result of a secondary occupation.
Status
Citizen Science:   | ✗   | |
Reliability of Data:   | Confirmed | |
Reliability of Interpretation:   | Confirmed:   | Even at its maximum extent of 0.13ha, it falls well below the 0.2ha threshold, but its position is typical of other small promontory forts. |
Location
X:  -504620  Y:  7308173  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -4.533076  Latitude:  54.72239  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Scotland
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Dumfries & Galloway
Historic County:   Wigtownshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Glasserton
Condition
Extant:   | ✓ |
Cropmark:   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed:   | ✗ |
Land Use
Woodland:   | ✗ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation:   | ✗ |
Parkland:   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing):   | ✓ |
Arable:   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken:   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop:   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland:   | ✗ |
Heath:   | ✗ |
Built-up:   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland:   | ✓ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Landscape
Hillfort Type
Contour Fort:   | ✗ |
Partial Contour Fort:   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort:   | ✓ |
Hillslope Fort:   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort:   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort:   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort:   | ✗ |
Topographic Position
Hilltop:   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory:   | ✓ |
Inland Promontory:   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom:   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop:   | ✗ |
Ridge:   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp:   | ✗ |
Hillslope:   | ✗ |
Lowland:   | ✗ |
Spur:   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  ✗
Aspect
North:   | ✗ |
Northeast:   | ✗ |
East:   | ✗ |
Southeast:   | ✗ |
South:   | ✗ |
Southwest:   | ✗ |
West:   | ✗ |
Northwest:   | ✗ |
Level:   | ✓ |
Elevation
Altitude:  30.0m
Boundary
Boundary Type:   | ✗ | |
Second HER:  ✗
Second Current County or Unitary Authority:  ✗
Second Historic County:  ✗
Second Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  ✗
Dating Evidence
In the absence of excavation, there are neither stratified artefacts nor radiocarbon dates to provide a chronology for the defences.
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC:   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC:   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC:   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50:   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400:   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800:   | ✗ |
Post AD800:   | ✓ |
Unknown:   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort Activity:   | ✗   | |
Post Hillfort Activity:   | ✓   | Angular foundations in the interior may relate to a medieval occupationn |
Investigations
First surveyed in 1849 by the OS on the 1st edition of the 6-inch map (Wigtownshire 1850, sheet 33), in 1894 a more detailed depiction was prepared for the 25-inch map (Wigtownshire 1895, sheet 34.4), and this was later refined in 1906 (Wigtownshire 1908, sheet 34.4). A description was prepared for the RCAHMS county Inventory for Wigtownshire (1912, 10, No.6). The site was planned by RCAHMS in 1955, and visited by the OS in 1973. A coastal erosion evaluation and plan was prepared in 1997 (Toolis 2003, 44-5).
Interior Features
Angular foundations possibly belonging to a secondary occupation
Water Source
None:   | ✓ |
Spring:   | ✗ |
Stream:   | ✗ |
Pool:   | ✗ |
Flush:   | ✗ |
Well:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Surface
No Known Features:   | ✗ |
Round Stone Structures:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures:   | ✓ |
Curvilinear Platforms:   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence:   | ✗ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Excavation
No Known Excavation:   | ✓ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Postholes:   | ✗ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Nothing Found:   | ✗ |
Geophysics
No Known Geophysics:   | ✓ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Nothing Found:   | ✗ |
Finds
No Known Finds:   | ✓ |
Pottery:   | ✗ |
Metal:   | ✗ |
Metalworking:   | ✗ |
Human Bones:   | ✗ |
Animal Bones:   | ✗ |
Lithics:   | ✗ |
Environmental:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Aerial
APs Not Checked:   | ✗ |
None:   | ✓ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Postholes:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Entrances
See main summary
Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:   | 1  | |
Number of Possible Original Entrances:   |   | |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:   | ✗   | |
Enclosing Works
Thick wall fronted by a broad ditch cutting off the promontory.
Enclosed Area 1:   | 0.1ha. |
Enclosed Area 2:   | ✗ |
Enclosed Area 3:   | ✗ |
Enclosed Area 4:   | ✗ |
Total Enclosed Area:   | 0.1ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  0.18ha.
Multi-period Enclosure System:   | ✗   | |
Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:   | ✗   | |
Number of Ramparts:   | 1 | |
Number of Ramparts NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
Number of Ramparts SE Quadrant:   | ✗ |
Number of Ramparts SW Quadrant:   | ✗ |
Number of Ramparts NW Quadrant:   | 1 |
Current Morphology
Partial Univallate:   | ✓ |
Univallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Bivallate: | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Unknown:   | ✗ |
Multi-period Morphology
Partial Univallate:   | ✗ |
Univallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Surface Evidence
None:   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank:   | ✗ |
Stone Wall:   | ✓ |
Rubble:   | ✗ |
Wall-walk:   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber:   | ✗ |
Vitrification:   | ✗ |
Other Burning:   | ✗ |
Palisade:   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank:   | ✗ |
Berm:   | ✗ |
Unfinished:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Excavated Evidence
None:   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank:   | ✗ |
Stone Wall:   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex:   | ✗ |
Timber-framed:   | ✗ |
Timber-laced:   | ✗ |
Vitrification:   | ✗ |
Other Burning:   | ✗ |
Palisade:   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank:   | ✗ |
Berm:   | ✗ |
Unfinished:   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation:   | ✓ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Gang Working
Gang Working:   | ✗  | |
Ditches
Ditches:  ✓
Number of Ditches:   | 1 | |
Annex
Annex:   | ✗   | |
References
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.
Toolis, R (2003) 'A study of the promontory forts of the north Solway coast'. Trans Dumfriesshire Galloway natur Hist Antiq Soc 3 Ser, 77, 37-78.