Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC1592 Abbey Craig, Stirlingshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Stirling 1217 (None)

NMR:  NS 89 NW 10 (47113)

SM:  2542

NGR:  NS 8094 9565

X:  280940  Y:  695650  (OSGB36)

Summary

The Wallace Monument stands within the interior of a fort backing onto the cliff-edge that forms the western flank of the Abbey Craig. Elsewhere, drawn in a broad arc around the E half a rampart can be seen, forming a bank up to 10m in thickness by 1m in height, and enclosing an area measuring 53m from NNE to SSW by 38m transversely (0.16ha). Some 30m outside this line a second rampart has been identified, largely reduced to a terrace about 3.5m broad and up to 1m high, swinging around the E flank of the hill (Aitchison 1981). A watching brief carried out in 2001 identified two phases of construction in the inner rampart, the earlier of which was a timber-laced wall, which, following its destruction by burning and vitrifaction, had been rebuilt with earth and stones (Glendinning 2001); samples of charcoal have returned dates of AD 560-730 (SUAT 2001). A more recent community-based excavation confirmed the character of the outer rampart and also recovered pieces of vitrified stone from it (Cook et al 2011).

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -436100  Y:  7586078  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.9175570593460685  Latitude:  56.13870501775173  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Stirling

Historic County:  Stirlingshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Logie

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:  105.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Dates in SUAT 2001 and reported in secondary sources

Reliability:  B - Medium

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:
C14:   None

Investigation History

Noted in 1792 as a battery (Stat Acct 3, 1792, 288), in 1841 The New Statistical Account records the discovery of a hoard of bronze spearheads in 1784 (NSA, 8, Stirlingshire, 227; Nimmo 1880, vol 1, 373). The first depiction of the fort itself appears to be on the 1st edition 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 133.13). It was surveyed by RCAHMS in 1952 during the Survey of Marginal Lands and included in the County Inventory for Stirlingshire (RCAHMS 1963, 71, no.69, fig 8). It was Scheduled in 1966 and the OS survey was revised at 1:1250 in 1973. RCAHMS revisited in 1978, and Nick Aitchison reported the outer rampart in 1981 (Aitchison 1981). A watching brief was maintained when new floodlighting was introduced in 2001, creating several exposures of the inner rampart (Glendinning 2001; SUAT 2001), and Murray Cook led a community based excavation project here in 2011 (Cook et al 2011).

Investigations:
Other (1784):   Hoard of bronze spearheads found (NSA, 8, Stirlingshire, 227; Nimmo 1880, vol 1, 373)
1st Identified Written Reference (1792):   Noted (Stat Acct 3, 1792, 288)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1862):   Annotated Camp on the 1st edition 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 133.13)
Earthwork Survey (1952):   Plan and description during RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS 1963, 71, no.69, fig 8; RCAHMS STD 2/1-3)
Other (1966):   Scheduled
Other (1973):   Revised at 1:1250 by the OS
Other (1978):   Description by RCAHMS
Other (1981):   Nick Aitchison reports outer rampart (1981)
Excavation (2001):   Watching brief (Glendinning 2001; SUAT 2001)
Excavation (2011):   (Cook et al 2011)

Interior Features

Largely occupied by the Wallace Monument

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

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

Hammerstone. Most of the other finds relate to the building of the monument in the interior and visitors thereafter.

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

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

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:  
2:   Breaks at the cliff-edge are heavily modified, but either or both could be original

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Two ramparts visible, with a probable third rampart revealed by excavation

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.16ha.
Total:   0.16ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   2

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

Outer bank is vitrified and timber-laced with overlying earthen bank

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:  None

Annex:
✗   None

References

Aitchison, N B (1981) 'Abbey Craig (Logie p) rampart'. Disc Exc Scot 1981, 7

Cook, Bird, Dinning, Rocks-Macqueen, M, C, S and D (2011) 'The Abbey Craig Dig, Stirling (Logie parish), evaluation'. Disc Exc Scot, New ser 12 (2011), 179

Feachem, R W (1963) Guide to Prehistoric Scotland. Batsford: Edinburgh (p 157)

Glendinning, B (2001) 'Wallace Monument Replacement Floodlighting, Stirling (Logie parish), hillfort', Discy Exc Scot, New ser 2 (2001), 97

NSA (1834-1845) The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy.

Nimmo, W (1880) The history of Stirlingshire (2nd ed). London

RCAHMS (1963) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Stirlingshire: an inventory of the ancient monuments, 2v. HMSO: Edinburgh

Stat Acct (date) Statistical Account of Scotland: Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers of the Different Parishes (Sinclair, J ed), 1791-99

SUAT 2001 Scottish Urban Archaeological Trust. A watching brief at Wallace Monument, Stirling. Data Structure Report



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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