Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2582 Kerrera, The Little Horse Shoe, Argyll (Upper Gylen)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  The West of Scotland Archaeology Service 1139 (None)

NMR:  NM 82 NW 4 (22949)

SM:  4210

NGR:  NM 8175 2710

X:  181750  Y:  727100  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification stands on the summit of a precipitous hillock and is roughly oval on plan, measuring 36m from NE to SW by 27m transversely within a wall largely reduced to a band of rubble. Where best preserved, on the SW, however, stones of the inner and outer faces survive, indicating a maximum thickness of 3.6m on either side of the entrance, which opens onto a cleft in the rocks that provides access on this side. There was possibly a second entrance in a gap on the NE, outside which traces of an outer wall can be followed along the margin of the hillock, taking in a lower shelf and blocking access up another gully on this side; no trace of this outer wall has been found extending round the margin of a similar but larger shelf on the SE. Several spreads of stones are visible within the interior, some of which may have been discarded by later stone robbers, but the preparation of a conservation plan in 1995 identified one as possible remains of a rectangular building (see WoSAS record).

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -616388  Y:  7635582  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.537105540166968  Latitude:  56.38569177510668  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Argyll & Bute

Historic County:  Argyll

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kilmore And Kilbride

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:  20.0m

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:   Robbing and possible rectangular building

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1969):   Surveyed at 1:10,000 by the OS
Earthwork Survey (1970):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1975, 73, no.142, fig 39; RCAHMS AGD 392/1-2)
Other (1979):   Scheduled
Other (1995):   Included in a Farm Conservation plan (See WoSAS record)
Other (2013):   Re-Scheduled

Interior Features

Several spreads of stones, one of which may be the remains of a rectangular building

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Spreads of stones

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:  
2:   Broad gap on the NE, but uncertain whether robbing or an entrance.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   None

Enclosing Works

Single wall enclosing the summit with outer wall on the NE

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.08ha.
Total:   0.08ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.14ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

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 (1975) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the ancient monuments: volume 2: Lorn. 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


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