Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2614 Mid Torrie, 'The Auld Knowe', Perthshire (Wester Torrie; Callander)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Stirling 293 (None)

NMR:  NN 60 SE 1 (24378)

SM:  3199

NGR:  NN 6526 0480

X:  265260  Y:  704800  (OSGB36)

Summary

What may be the remains of a fort enclose an elongated ridge that rises above the river terrace on the S bank of the River Teith. The rampart, which is largely reduced to a scarp but is accompanied by an external ditch cut through the rock on the spine of the ridge on the NW, can be traced on an irregular course around the gentler flanks on the SE, SW and NW to enclose an area measuring a maximum of 70m from NW to SE by 38m transversely (0.19ha). At the SE end an outer rampart encloses a further area of about 0.08ha on a lower terrace. The ramparts have been severely mutilated and several tracks cut through them on the SE, the SSW and the W. That on the SSW is evidently later, and while the gap on the W is set in a shallow re-entrant, the one running up the spine of the ridge through gaps in both ramparts on the ESE is quite likely to mark the position of the original entrance. Within the interior, on the very summit of the ridge, there is a probable dun or broch, though its wall is now reduced to a grass-grown mound enclosing an area about 15m in maximum diameter. The interior of the fort is otherwise featureless.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -464685  Y:  7601673  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.1743370050348725  Latitude:  56.21668342603822  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Stirling

Historic County:  Perthshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kilmadock

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:  76.0m

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:   A dun or broch has been inserted into the interior, heavy stone robbing

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

The RCAHMS collection contains oblique aerial photographs taken by: CUCAP; John Dewar in 1971; and RCAHMS Aerial Survey Programme in 1998.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1862):   Annotated Roman Camp in Roman Type on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 124.6)
Other (1902):   Sketch-plan and description by David Christison (1902)
Other (1957):   Description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS)
Earthwork Survey (1960):   Plan (RCAHMS DC5404)
Other (1972):   Scheduled
Other (1978):   Visited during RCAHMS Fieldwork

Interior Features

Featureless apart from the dun or broch

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

A dun or broch

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

The dun or broch

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:  
3:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

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

Enclosing Works

Single rampart extending round the ridge, with an ecternal ditch at one end and an outer rampart at the other

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.19ha.
Total:   0.19ha.

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:   2
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:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Christison, D (1902) 'Notices of an ancient fort and stone circle at Wester Torrie, near Callander, Perthshire'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 36 (1901-2), 614-18



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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