Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC0244 Drummore Castle, Kirkcudbrightshire (Castle Hill)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dumfries & Galloway MDG3520 (None)

NMR:  NX 64 NE 5 (63925)

SM:  1069

NGR:  NX 6879 4570

X:  268790  Y:  545700  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort is situated in woodland on the NE side of the broad summit of Castle Hill. Roughly oval on plan, it measures 64m from NE to SW by 48m transversely (0.26ha) within a band of defences comprising at least three ramparts with two intermediate ditches, though the outermost rampart has been obliterated by ploughing on the SE. The innermost rampart presents an external scarp up to 3.5m in height and the inner ditch is of the order of 8m in breadth by 2m in depth. The entrance is on the NE, where there appears to be an additional rampart between the innermost and the outer pair. Described in 1952 by RCAHMS investigators as a hornwork, John Palmer of the OS was probably correct in 1971 when he suggested that the inner rampart had been rebuilt in a secondary phase and realigned within its original line in this sector on the NE, thus reducing the interior to its present size from a maximum extent of as much as 0.32ha.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -449967  Y:  7321023  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.042118556179995  Latitude:  54.789004058103046  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Dumfries & Galloway

Historic County:  Kirkcudbrightshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kirkcudbright

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

None

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:  None

Aspect:
North  
Northeast  
East  
Southeast  
South  
Southwest  
West  
Northwest  
Level  

Altitude:  120.0m

Boundary

N/A


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

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

Drummore Castle is named on John Ainslie's map of the Stewartryof Kirkcudbright in 1797, and mistakenly shown as a tower-house on Thomson's later map (1832). Subsequently shown in greater detail in 1850 on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Kircudbrightshire 1854, sheet 54) and sketch-planned by Frederick Coles about 1890 (1891, 359-60). Planned by RCAHMS investigators for the County Inventory for Kirkcudbrightshire (1914, 120-2, no.231) and subsequently revisited in 1952. In 1971 it was resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1797):   Named on John Ainslie's map of The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (1797)
Other (1850):   Named in Gothic type on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map (Kircudbrightshire 1854, sheet 54)
Earthwork Survey (1890):   Sketch plan and description (Coles 1891, 359-60, fig 4)
Earthwork Survey (1911):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1914, 120-2, no.231, fig 83)
Other (1937):   Scheduled
Other (1952):   Description RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands
Other (1971):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS

Interior Features

Featureless as a result of later cultivation.

Water Source

Hollow observed on the S in 1911, when it was compared with a stone filled well

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

None

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

None

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:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None

Enclosing Works

At least three ramparts but with the appearance of four on the NE where the defences have been rebuilt in a second phase.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.3ha.
Total:   0.3ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.8ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   4
SE Quadrant:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   3
Total:   4

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

None

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Coles, F R (1891) The motes, forts, and doons of The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Proc Soc Antiq Scotland 25352-96

Feachem, R (1963) A guide to prehistoric Scotland, London (p 130)

RCAHMS (1914) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Fifth report and inventory of monuments and constructions in Galloway, II, county of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, 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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