SC1592: Abbey Craig |
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HER: Stirling 1217
NMR: NS 89 NW 10 (47113)
SM: 2542
NGR: NS 8094 9565
X: 280940 Y: 695650 (EPSG:27700)
Boundary: ✗
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).
| Citizen Science: | ✓ | John Lumley |
| Reliability of Data: | Confirmed |
| Reliability of Interpretation: | Confirmed |
X: -436100 Y: 7586078 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.917557 Latitude: 56.138705 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Scotland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Stirling
Historic County: Stirlingshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Logie
| Extant: | ✓ |
| Cropmark: | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed: | ✗ |
| Woodland: | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation: | ✗ |
| Parkland: | ✓ |
| Pasture (Grazing): | ✗ |
| Arable: | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken: | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop: | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland: | ✗ |
| Heath: | ✗ |
| Built-up: | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Contour Fort: | ✓ |
| Partial Contour Fort: | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort: | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort: | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort: | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort: | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort: | ✗ |
| Hilltop: | ✓ |
| Coastal Promontory: | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory: | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom: | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop: | ✗ |
| Ridge: | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp: | ✗ |
| Hillslope: | ✗ |
| Lowland: | ✗ |
| Spur: | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: ✗
| North: | ✗ |
| Northeast: | ✗ |
| East: | ✗ |
| Southeast: | ✗ |
| South: | ✗ |
| Southwest: | ✗ |
| West: | ✗ |
| Northwest: | ✗ |
| Level: | ✓ |
Altitude: 105.0m
| Boundary Type: | ✗ |
Second HER: ✗
Second Current County or Unitary Authority: ✗
Second Historic County: ✗
Second Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: ✗
Dates in SUAT 2001 and reported in secondary sources
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC: | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC: | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC: | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50: | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400: | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800: | ✓ |
| Post AD800: | ✗ |
| Unknown: | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort Activity: | ✓ | A stone axe was found about 1888 and a hoard of bronze spearhead in 1784 |
| Post Hillfort Activity: | ✓ | Building of the Wallace Monument within the interior |
| C14: | No details. |
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).
| 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) |
Largely occupied by the Wallace Monument
| None: | ✓ |
| Spring: | ✗ |
| Stream: | ✗ |
| Pool: | ✗ |
| Flush: | ✗ |
| Well: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| No Known Features: | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures: | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms: | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence: | ✗ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation: | ✓ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Postholes: | ✗ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Nothing Found: | ✗ |
| No Known Geophysics: | ✓ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
| Nothing Found: | ✗ |
Hammerstone. Most of the other finds relate to the building of the monument in the interior and visitors thereafter.
| No Known Finds: | ✓ |
| Pottery: | ✗ |
| Metal: | ✗ |
| Metalworking: | ✗ |
| Human Bones: | ✗ |
| Animal Bones: | ✗ |
| Lithics: | ✓ |
| Environmental: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked: | ✗ |
| None: | ✓ |
| Roundhouses: | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures: | ✗ |
| Pits: | ✗ |
| Postholes: | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
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: |
Guard Chambers: ✗
| Chevaux de Frise: | ✗ |
Two ramparts visible, with a probable third rampart revealed by excavation
| Enclosed Area 1: | 0.16ha. |
| Enclosed Area 2: | ✗ |
| Enclosed Area 3: | ✗ |
| Enclosed Area 4: | ✗ |
| Total Enclosed Area: | 0.2ha. |
Total Footprint Area: ✗
| Multi-period Enclosure System: | ✓ |
| Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit: | ✗ |
| Number of Ramparts: | 2 |
| Number of Ramparts NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| Number of Ramparts SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| Number of Ramparts SW Quadrant: | ✗ |
| Number of Ramparts NW Quadrant: | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate: | ✗ |
| Univallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate: | ✓ |
| Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Unknown: | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate: | ✗ |
| Univallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Bivallate: | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate: | ✗ |
| Multivallate: | ✗ |
| None: | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank: | ✗ |
| Stone Wall: | ✓ |
| Rubble: | ✗ |
| Wall-walk: | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber: | ✗ |
| Vitrification: | ✓ |
| Other Burning: | ✗ |
| Palisade: | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank: | ✗ |
| Berm: | ✗ |
| Unfinished: | ✗ |
| Other: | ✗ |
Outer bank is vitrified and timber-laced with overlying earthen bank
| 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: | ✗ |
Ditches: ✗
| Number of Ditches: |
| Annex: | ✗ |
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
Nimmo, W (1880) The history of Stirlingshire (2nd ed). London
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.
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
Atlas of Hillforts: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/?query=Atlas_of_Hillforts_4166_0%2CMain_Atlas_Number%2C1592
Wikidata: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q31109809
The online version of the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland should be cited as:
Lock, G. and Ralston, I. 2017. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. [ONLINE] Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.