Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2219 Ranachan Hill, Argyll

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  The West of Scotland Archaeology Service 2960 (None)

NMR:  NR 62 NE 12 (38368)

SM:  3064

NGR:  NR 6889 2500

X:  168890  Y:  625000  (OSGB36)

Summary

A complex fortification with at least three lines of defence is situated on the summit of Ranachan Hill. The innermost component of the scheme is a pear-shaped enclosure on the very highest part of the summit area and possibly overrides a large circular cairn on the S. This enclosure measures 35m from N to S by a maximum of 24m transversely (0.07ha) within a wall between 2.7m and 3.7m in thickness; long runs of inner and outer facing-stones are visible all round the circuit, in one place standing up to 1.3m in five courses, but there is also evidence of what are either internal revetments or earlier faces within the body of the core, in three places apparently facing inwards, and in one outwards. A well-formed entrance on the W, which expands from 2m wide at the outer end of the passage to 2.7m at the inner, does not have built checks, but two large fallen slabs may have been jamb-stones; there is also a gap in the wall on the N. The walls of the outer enclosures are heavily robbed, the first enclosing a trapezoidal area measuring a maximum of 79m from NE to SW by 60m transversely (0.4ha), and the second springing from the first to take in an additional strip on the SE; the second, which retains extensive runs of outer face, was possibly constructed successively to enclose a larger area of 0.54ha; in addition to a well-defined entrance in the second wall on the SW, there are gaps in the first on the NE, SE and SW, though only that on the NE can be identified as a probable entrance. There are no traces of any contemporary structures within the defences, but three small subrectangular to oval structures built on the line of the wall of the outer enclosure on the NE, together with a fourth standing outside its line on the N indicate a subsequent period of occupation during the medieval or post-medieval period (cf Balloch Hill, Atlas No. 2210). In addition to these enclosures, which appear to use the topography to tactical advantage, there is a fourth line of enclosure surrounding the hilltop. For the most part reduced to little more than a scatter of stones, its full extent is unknown.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -629799  Y:  7452470  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.657584871364284  Latitude:  55.46412966182823  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Argyll & Bute

Historic County:  Argyll

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Campbeltown

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:  215.0m

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:   There is possible an earlier burial cairn
Post Hillfort:   The wall is overlain by sub-rectangular huts

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First depicted on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map in 1867 (Argyll and Bute 1869, sheet 251.15), it was first planned during the RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands and resurveyed in 1968 for the County Inventory of Argyll (RCAHMS 1971, 74-5, no.173, fig 52). It was Scheduled in 1971 and visited by the OS 1n 1977. RCAHMS photographed it from the air in 2008

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1867):   Annotated Fort on 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Argyll and Bute 1869, sheet 251.15)
Other (1955):   Visited for RCAHMS Marginal Lands
Earthwork Survey (1956):   Planned during RCAHMS Marginal Lands (RCAHMS AGD 297/1-3)
Earthwork Survey (1965):   Detail of entrance (RCAHMS AGD297/4)
Earthwork Survey (1968):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1971, 74-5, no.173, fig 52; RCAHMS AGD 297/3)
Other (1971):   Scheduled
Other (1977):   Surveyed at 1:10.000 by the OS
Other (2008):   Aerial photography by RCAHMS

Interior Features

Subrectangular structures overlie the outer enclosure on the NE, but the interior is otherwise 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

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

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:  
6:   In all walls and ramparts

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Generally two, both in the innermost enclosure, and the immediately surrounding enclosure, but there is no direct relationship between any of them and there is at least one other gap in the outer enclosure.

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   Inner enclosure
1. Simple Gap (North):   Outer enclosure
2. Simple Gap (West):   Inner enclosure
3. Simple Gap (South east):   Inner wall of the outer enclosure, gully between outcrops
4. Simple Gap (South west):   inner wall of the outer enclosure, robbed gap in likely position
4. Simple Gap (South west):   Outer wall of the outer enclosure

Enclosing Works

Series of walled enclosures, of which only the innermost has a complete circuit

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.07ha.
Area 2:   0.4ha.
Area 3:   0.54ha.
Total:   0.54ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.58ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   The fourth line of enclosure here, which does not appear to be sited tactically and is incompletely known, may take in in excess of 2ha

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   The outermost line has been excluded

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   1
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

Murus duplex or multiperiod

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:  None

Annex:
✗   None

References

RCAHMS (1971) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the ancient monuments, volume 1: Kintyre. HMSO: 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


Document Version 1.1