Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2627 Drummond Hill, Perthshire (Caisteal Mac Tuathal; Dun Mac Tual)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust MPK382 (None)

NMR:  NN 74 NE 30 (24911)

SM:  9156

NGR:  NN 7790 4764

X:  277900  Y:  747640  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort occupies a rocky knoll that forms the NE shoulder of Drummond Hill and terminates in precipitous slopes on the NE and SE. Roughly rectangular on plan, the interior measures a maximum of 80m from NE to SW by 65m transversely (0.5ha), backing onto the cliff-edge on the NE and SE, and defended by an inner wall on the NW and SW. This wall measures between 2.9m and 3.3m in thickness where both faces are visible at the W corner, the outer still standing 1.8m in height; in 1957 Kenneth Steer observed the inner face at numerous other places, but these exposures have since disappeared beneath the vegetation. In addition to the inner wall, there is an outer wall, which probably extends from the edge of the escarpment on the SE and along the SW flank, where there is also an earthwork defence in the bottom of the shallow saddle separating the fort from the ground rising on to the crest of Drummond Hill, and round the W corner onto the NW flank. The most recent survey, however, observed its remains only on the NW, interpreting it as a small annexe, whereas Alexander Hutcheson in 1888 (1889, 359-62, fig 4) and Kenneth Steer in 1957 considered that it faced onto the saddle on the SW. Nevertheless, all are agreed that there is a small annexe on the N, extending along the edge of the cliff and measuring internally about 45m from N to S by 35m transversely. A possible entrance leads from the fort into the annexe, raising the possibility that rather than annexe as such, this is an outer defence around the entrance. The ditch on the W, which is up to 10m in breadth by 1.6m in depth, probably enhances a natural gully in the saddle, which may explain why there are only slight traces of an accompanying bank towards the SE end of its inner lip.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -444236  Y:  7679759  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.9906427188476097  Latitude:  56.60475262479279  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Perth & Kinross

Historic County:  Perthshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Dull

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Clearing in a Forestry Commission plantation

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:  340.0m

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:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1842):   Description (NSA 10, Perthshire, 769); also anonymous notes (RCAHMS MS3076)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1862):   Annotated 'Fort (Site of)' on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1867, 48.15), albeit placed in the wrong position
Earthwork Survey (1888):   Sketch-plan by Alexander Hutcheson (1889, 359-62, fig 4)
Other (1899):   Description by David Christison (1900, 69-71)
Earthwork Survey (1957):   Sketch-plan and description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS WP000782; Feachem 1963, 147)
Other (1974):   Surveyed at 1:10,000 by the OS
Other (2001):   Scheduled
Earthwork Survey (2010):   Plan and description by Headland Archaeology Ltd (2010)

Interior Features

Featureless

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Under old plantations

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:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Position of the entrance is uncertain, though a gap on the N leads into the annexe

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   Leads from the fort into the annexe

Enclosing Works

Single wall on two side, probably with an outer wall and a small annexe, and with an outer earthwork defence

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.5ha.
Total:   0.5ha.

Total Footprint Area:  1.4ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   2
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

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:
✓   There is a small annexe on the N, extending along the edge of the cliff and measuring internally about 45m from N to S by 35m transversely (0.14ha).

References

Christison, D (1900) 'The forts, "camps", and other field-works of Perth, Forfar and Kincardine'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 34 (1899-1900), 43-120

Feachem, R (1963) A guide to prehistoric Scotland. Batsford: London

Hutcheson, A (1889) 'Notes on the stone circle near Kenmore and of some hill forts in the neighbourhood of Aberfeldy, Perthshire'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 23 (1888-9), 356-67

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.



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