Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2744 Eilean Donan Castle, Ross-shire (Castle Donnan; Ellan Donnan; Loch Duich)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Highland HER MHG45372 (None)

NMR:  NG 82 NE 3 (11823)

SM:  7575

NGR:  NG 8812 2583

X:  188127  Y:  825836  (OSGB36)

Summary

The medieval castle on the small tidal island of Eilean Donan, heavily restored in the early 20th century, may have occupied the site of an earlier fort, though evaluations in 2008 and further excavation in 2009 and 2010 did not encounter any remains of it. A length of collapsed walling on the NW side of the bridge that now connects the island contains fragments of vitrified stone, though the wall itself probably belongs to the more recent defences.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -614051  Y:  7816323  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.516110790879617  Latitude:  57.27397084577025  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Highland

Historic County:  Ross-shire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kintail

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

The form of this fort is uncertain, occupying a tidal island

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:  5.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

The character and date of any earlier occupation here can only be demonstrated by excavation

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:   Occupied by a medieval castle

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

While the ruins of the castle had long been a local landmark, the first mention of the wall containing virtified stones is by T Wallace in 1921. Referencing of the castle is omitted here. 1998

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1921):   Wall and vitrifaction noted (Wallace 1921, 109)
Other (1966):   Visited by the OS
Other (1974):   Visited by the OS
Other (1998):   Scheduled
Excavation (2008):   Evaluation (Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd, 2008)
Excavation (2009):   Area excavation (Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd, 2009)
Excavation (2010):   Area excavation (Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd, 2010)

Interior Features

Occupied by the castle

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked  
None  
Roundhouses  
Rectangular Structures  
Pits  
Postholes  
Roads/Tracks  
Other  

Entrances

None known

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Not known

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Vitrifaction, but no other evidence

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   Noneha.
Total:   Noneha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Size unknown, but the higher part of the island extends to only 0.17ha

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Nothing known about the defences

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

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

No evidence of the earlier defences recorded

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

Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd (2008) 'Eilean Donan Castle, Highland (Kintail parish), geophysical survey, topographical survey and evaluation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 9 (2008), 110

Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd (2009) 'Eilean Donan Castle, Highland (Kintail parish), excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 10 (2009), 104

Field Archaeology Specialists Ltd (2010) 'Eilean Donan Castle, Highland (Kintail parish), watching brief and excavation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 11 (2010), 98

Wallace, T (1921) 'Archaeological notes'. Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club 8 (1921), 109



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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