Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland
SC2828: Gote O'Tram   | |
Sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, GeoEye, USDA FSA, USGS, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, and the GIS User Community
HER:  Highland HER MHG2038
NMR:  ND 34 NE 5 (8958)
SM:  ✗
NGR:  ND 3674 4796
X:  336740  Y:  947960  (EPSG:27700)
Boundary:  ✗
Summary
Access to this irregular promontory is barred at the narrow neck on the WNW by a rampart and external ditch. The rampart forms a bank 3m in thickness by 0.8m in height, and the ditch, which is no more than 7m in length, measures 3.5m in breadth by 1.5m in depth. A causeway has been left for the entrance on the SSW side of the neck. The interior, which measures maxima of 75m from ESE to WNW by 40m transversely (0.15ha), divides into two arms at right-angle to each other, with a heavily eroded cleft above the entrance to a sea cave in the angle between them on the NE; it is featureless.
Status
Citizen Science:   | ✗   | |
Reliability of Data:   | Confirmed | |
Reliability of Interpretation:   | Confirmed:   | Falls below the 0.2ha threshold but has probably been heavily eroded at its seaward end and along its NE flank. The topographical position and character of the perimeter works indicate that it is a small fort. |
Location
X:  -343364  Y:  8055112  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -3.084487  Latitude:  58.415497  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Scotland
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Highland
Historic County:   Caithness
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Wick
Condition
Extant:   | ✓ |
Cropmark:   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed:   | ✗ |
Land Use
Woodland:   | ✗ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation:   | ✗ |
Parkland:   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing):   | ✓ |
Arable:   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken:   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop:   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland:   | ✗ |
Heath:   | ✗ |
Built-up:   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland:   | ✓ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Landscape
Hillfort Type
Contour Fort:   | ✗ |
Partial Contour Fort:   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort:   | ✓ |
Hillslope Fort:   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort:   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort:   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort:   | ✗ |
Topographic Position
Hilltop:   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory:   | ✓ |
Inland Promontory:   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom:   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop:   | ✗ |
Ridge:   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp:   | ✗ |
Hillslope:   | ✗ |
Lowland:   | ✗ |
Spur:   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  ✗
Aspect
North:   | ✗ |
Northeast:   | ✗ |
East:   | ✗ |
Southeast:   | ✗ |
South:   | ✗ |
Southwest:   | ✗ |
West:   | ✗ |
Northwest:   | ✗ |
Level:   | ✓ |
Elevation
Altitude:  15.0m
Boundary
Boundary Type:   | ✗ | |
Second HER:  ✗
Second Current County or Unitary Authority:  ✗
Second Historic County:  ✗
Second Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  ✗
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
Pre 1200BC:   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC:   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC:   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50:   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400:   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800:   | ✗ |
Post AD800:   | ✗ |
Unknown:   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort Activity:   | ✗   | |
Post Hillfort Activity:   | ✗   | |
Interior Features
Featureless
Water Source
None:   | ✓ |
Spring:   | ✗ |
Stream:   | ✗ |
Pool:   | ✗ |
Flush:   | ✗ |
Well:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Surface
No Known Features:   | ✓ |
Round Stone Structures:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures:   | ✗ |
Curvilinear Platforms:   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence:   | ✗ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Excavation
No Known Excavation:   | ✓ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Postholes:   | ✗ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Nothing Found:   | ✗ |
Geophysics
No Known Geophysics:   | ✓ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Nothing Found:   | ✗ |
Finds
No Known Finds:   | ✓ |
Pottery:   | ✗ |
Metal:   | ✗ |
Metalworking:   | ✗ |
Human Bones:   | ✗ |
Animal Bones:   | ✗ |
Lithics:   | ✗ |
Environmental:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Aerial
NO APPARENT FEATURES
APs Not Checked:   | ✗ |
None:   | ✓ |
Roundhouses:   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures:   | ✗ |
Pits:   | ✗ |
Postholes:   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Entrances
See main summary
Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:   | 1  | |
Number of Possible Original Entrances:   |   | |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:   | ✗   | |
Enclosing Works
Single rampart and ditch cutting off a promontory
Enclosed Area 1:   | 0.15ha. |
Enclosed Area 2:   | ✗ |
Enclosed Area 3:   | ✗ |
Enclosed Area 4:   | ✗ |
Total Enclosed Area:   | 0.2ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  ✗
Multi-period Enclosure System:   | ✗   | |
Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:   | ✗   | |
Number of Ramparts:   | 1 | |
Number of Ramparts NE Quadrant:   | ✗ |
Number of Ramparts SE Quadrant:   | ✗ |
Number of Ramparts SW Quadrant:   | ✗ |
Number of Ramparts NW Quadrant:   | 1 |
Current Morphology
Partial Univallate:   | ✓ |
Univallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Bivallate: | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Unknown:   | ✗ |
Multi-period Morphology
Partial Univallate:   | ✗ |
Univallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Bivallate:   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Multivallate:   | ✗ |
Surface Evidence
None:   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank:   | ✓ |
Stone Wall:   | ✗ |
Rubble:   | ✗ |
Wall-walk:   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber:   | ✗ |
Vitrification:   | ✗ |
Other Burning:   | ✗ |
Palisade:   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank:   | ✗ |
Berm:   | ✗ |
Unfinished:   | ✗ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Excavated Evidence
None:   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank:   | ✗ |
Stone Wall:   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex:   | ✗ |
Timber-framed:   | ✗ |
Timber-laced:   | ✗ |
Vitrification:   | ✗ |
Other Burning:   | ✗ |
Palisade:   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank:   | ✗ |
Berm:   | ✗ |
Unfinished:   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation:   | ✓ |
Other:   | ✗ |
Gang Working
Gang Working:   | ✗  | |
Ditches
Ditches:  ✓
Number of Ditches:   | 1 | |
Annex
Annex:   | ✗   | |
References
Lamb, R G (1980) Iron Age promontory forts in the Northern Isles. Brit Archaeol Rep, British Ser 79. BAR: Oxford