LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Highland HER MHG36068 (None)
NMR: NH 75 NE 29 (163552)
SM: 2823
NGR: NH 7825 5552
X: 278259 Y: 855525 (OSGB36)
Cropmarks have revealed an arc of at least two ditches cutting across the corner of the arable field SE of Cromal Mount, a probable motte standing on edge of the escarpment overlooking Ardesier, though whether they are the remains of a bailey or the defences of an earlier fort barring the SE approach to what was in effect a promontory on the escarpment is not known. The cropmarks of the ditches themselves are not very well defined and are possibly pierced by an entrance facing SE, two ditches extending to its SW to the lip of the escarpment, and possibly three northwards to disappear at the corner of the field. While the arc may be traced over a total distance of 100m, it is unclear what the original extent of these fortifications may be, and whether they include elements of the works demolished in the early 19th century (NSA, 14, Inverness-shire, 470-1), which included an 'earthen mound' or 'raised approach' leading up to the motte from this side. An evaluation carried out in 1989 concluded that the present topography of the motte and its surroundings had been extensively modified by quarrying for sand and gravel, though the remains of a low bank were found enclosing the summit of the motte (Carter 1989; 1990).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -449424 Y: 7878233 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.037244382788307 Latitude: 57.57341006220332 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Scotland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Highland
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Ardesier
The remains of the motte remain visible, but bits have been destroyed by gravel extraction, and some parts only revealed by cropmarks on aerial photographs
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✓ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
None
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✓ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✓ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✓ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: None
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 46.0m
N/A
There are neither stratified artefacts nor radiocarbon dates to provide a chronology for the defences.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | Motte constructed |
RCAHMS collection holds a plan ostensibly prepared in 1924 (RCAHMS IND 2/1-2)
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1841): | Description and demolition (NSA, 14, Inverness-shire, 470-1) |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1878): | Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Inverness-shire 1881, sheet 1.6) |
| Other (1973): | Visited by the OS |
| Excavation (1989): | Evaluation (Carter 1989; 1990, 41) |
| Earthwork Survey (1989): | For evaluation (Carter 1989; 1990; RCAHMS DC45824) |
| Other (1996): | Fort identified from cropmarks recorded by RCAHMS |
| Other (2011): | Motte Scheduled, excluding the area of the ditches revealed by cropmarks |
Largely occupied by the motte and quarries
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✓ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Bronze pin (possibly lost)
| No Known Finds | ✗ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✓ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✗ |
| None | ✓ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
See main summary
| 1: | Ploughed flat |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South east): | None |
Two or three ditches, possibly cutting across a promontory
| Area 1: | Noneha. |
| Total: | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | Area unknown but possibly as much as 0.7ha |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| None | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Evaluation identified a low bank on the lip of the motte
| None | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | At least two ditches, possibly three |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Carter, S (1989) 'Cromal Mount (Ardersier parish), motte, probable'. Disc Exc Scot (1989), 28
Carter, S (1990) 'Assessment of a motte at Ardersier, Inverness District', Historic Scotland, Archaeological Operations and Conservation, Annual Report 1989, Edinburgh
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. Edinburgh
Atlas of Hillforts:
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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