Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2638 The Dun, Perthshire (Tyndun; Castle Dune)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust MPK984 (None)

NMR:  NN 84 NE 3 (25594)

SM:  4587

NGR:  NN 8632 4760

X:  286322  Y:  747601  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification is situated on a low hillock on the shoulder of the hill dropping down to Aberfeldy from the SSE. Its defences comprise two elements: a thick stone wall enclosing a roughly circular area about 34m in diameter; and a belt of outer defences about 14m deep across the easiest line of approach from the S. These latter are made up of three ditches up to 3m in breadth by 0.4m in depth, which flank two intermediate earthen ramparts about 0.8m high. There is a possible entrance on the WSW, and the OS identified a second gap on the E. The interior is featureless.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -428971  Y:  7680117  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.853512644938554  Latitude:  56.60652123288524  (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

Formerly under trees

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:  335.0m

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:   Heavy stone robbing to build the dyke that enclosed the plantation that covered it in the 19th century

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1783):   Annotated Castle Dune on James Stobie's map of The Counties of Perth and Clackmannan (1783)
1st Identified Written Reference (1842):   Noted (NSA 10, Perthshire, 768) and anonymous notes (RCAHMS MS3076)
Other (1862):   Named The Dun in Gothic type on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1867, sheet 49.10)
Other (1888):   Description by Alexander Hutcheson (1889, 362-5)
Other (1899):   Description by David Christison (1900, 70-1)
Earthwork Survey (1957):   Sketch-plan and description
Other (1975):   Surveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1988):   Scheduled
Other (2001):   Photographed from the air by RCAHMS Aerial Survey Programme

Interior Features

Featureless

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Under old plantation

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:   Heavily robbed circuit

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   None

Enclosing Works

Single wall, with outer earthworks on the S

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.09ha.
Total:   0.09ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
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

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:
✓   Across easiest line of approach

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

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

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


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