Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2609 Killin, Innes Bhuidhe, Burial Ground of The Macnabs, Perthshire (Island of Inchbuie; Mcnabs)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Stirling 63728 (None)

NMR:  NN 53 SE 26 (24204)

SM:  None

NGR:  NN 5731 3263

X:  257317  Y:  732632  (OSGB36)

Summary

A small fortification occupies the NE tip of a small island immediately below the Falls of Dochart, where the River Dochart flows past in channels deeply incised into the rock to either side; the only access is along the island from the SW, currently from the road bridge, from which a trackway leads to the walled burial-ground of the MacNabs, cutting through the remains of a small fort on the summit of the island to the SW (Atlas No. 2608). The fortification on the tip of the island is a promontory work, formed by the construction of a rampart with an external ditch to block access from along the spine of the island to the SW. The rampart measures about 4.5m in thickness by 0.6m in height, and its accompanying external ditch some 6m in breadth by 0.9m in depth. The latter is apparently unbroken by any entrance causeway, but there is a central gap in the rampart where the trackway passes through to the walled burial-ground. The tapering interior measures about 40m in length and tapers from about 20m in breadth immediately to the rear of the rampart on the SW to a point on the NE (0.04ha); apart from the burial ground, it is featureless. An old drystone dyke also traverses the island in the bottom of the ditch.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -480612  Y:  7651389  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.3174117593883325  Latitude:  56.46421648216247  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Stirling

Historic County:  Perthshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Killin

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:  115.0m

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:   Insertion of a walled burial ground and the construction of a drystone dyke

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Although the Scheduling document for Atlas No. 2608 expresses the intent to Schedule both forts on this small island, the accompanying map excludes this work, apparently placing the boundary of the protected area on the line of the defences.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1911):   Description (Cash 1912, 265-6)
Earthwork Survey (1958):   Plan and description for RCAHMS Marginal Lands Survey (RCAHMS DC5406 & DP157791)
Other (1975):   Surveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1978):   Description by RCAHMS

Interior Features

Partly occupied by the walled burial-ground, but 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

Obscured by trees

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:   Unclear whether the central gap is an original entrance

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Single rampart and ditch cutting off a promontory

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.04ha.
Total:   0.04ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   1

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:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Cash, C G (1912) 'Archaeological gleanings from Killin'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 46 (1911-12), 264-85



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