Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2639 Torr Hill, Perthshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust MPK966 (None)

NMR:  NN 84 NE 11 (25574)

SM:  None

NGR:  NN 8542 4870

X:  285420  Y:  748700  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification, which is situated a low knoll on the steep W bank of the Moness Burn, has been incorporated into the S outskirts of Aberfeldy and is now largely occupied by a house and its garden. Sub-rectangular on plan, its interior measures about 45m from N to S by 40m transversely (0.18ha) and the defences have comprised up to three ramparts, all reduced to scarps, which extend round the S, W and NW flanks. When planned by RCAHMS in 1957, the inner rampart still formed a low mound on the S, and the middle rampart appeared to spring from the line of the inner on the N. In 1962, prior to the construction of the house, Margaret Stewart excavated a trench across the inner rampart on the S, revealing an inner face with a hard-packed core of small stones, and along its outer edge a palisade which had been burnt. She also cut a trench across the outermost rampart on the N, but could find no trace of any structure. Nothing was found in two trenches dug within the interior, and the only find was a scatter of iron slag lying amongst the stones (Stewart 1962). The position of the entrance was not recorded on the RCAHMS plan, but the OS suggested that it lay above the burn on the E.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -430660  Y:  7682068  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.8686856787708535  Latitude:  56.61616966518797  (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

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:  120.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

In the absence of modern 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:   Planted with trees and built over

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1862):   Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1867, sheet 49.10)
Earthwork Survey (1888):   Plan and description by Alexander Hutcheson (1889, 363-4,fig 6)
Other (1899):   Description by David Christison (1900, 50-2)
Other (1942):   Description by Angus Graham and Gordon Childe for the RCAHMS wartime Emergency Surveys
Earthwork Survey (1957):   Plan and description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS DC5400 DP157786)
Excavation (1962):   By Margaret Stewart on behalf of the Ministry of Public Works (Stewart 1962)
Other (1975):   Resurveyed by the OS at 1:2500

Interior Features

Featureless and largely occupied byy a modern house

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

Pieces of iron slag

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds  
Pottery  
Metal  
Metalworking  
Human Bones  
Animal Bones  
Lithics  
Environmental  
Other  

Aerial

Obscured by house and 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:   Suggested by the OS

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Up to three ramparts

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.18ha.
Total:   0.18ha.

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:   3
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   3
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:
✗   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

Stewart, M E C (1962) Torr Hill Aberfeldy. Disc Exc Scot (1962), 57-8



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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