Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC2962 Maiden Castle, Aberdeenshire (Bennachie; Pittodrie Home Farm)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record NJ62SE0002 (None)

NMR:  NJ 62 SE 2 (18182)

SM:  12012

NGR:  NJ 6942 2435

X:  369420  Y:  824350  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification is situated on a low hillock that projects from the slope NE of Pittodrie Home Farm to capitalise on the steep slopes falling away on the N and more particularly the E, where there is also evidence of minor quarrying. On the surface the fortifications comprise a single rampart and ditch overlain by a heavily-robbed, circular, stone-walled building measuring about 20m in diameter within a wall 2.5m in thickness. Excavations by Murray Cook (et al 2007; 2008), however, have revealed that the traces of what appears to be an internal quarry scoop to the rear of the rampart on the W is the remains of an inner ditch with an internal rampart enclosing an oval area measuring about 35m from E to W by 29m transversely (0.08ha). Adjacent to the entrance on the S, the outer ditch is up to 5m in breadth by 0.5m in depth, reducing to slighter proportions around the steeper N flank, and the rampart forms a bank 3.5m in thickness by 0.5m in height, but on excavation these proved to be 3m wide by 0.75m deep and 4m thick by 1.6m high respectively, while the inner ditch measured 2.2m in breadth by 1.1m in depth and the inner rampart 2m in thickness by 1.5m in height. Apart from evidence of non-ferrous metalworking, a piece of early medieval decorated glass and a glass bead, there are three radiocarbon dates from contexts below and above the inner rampart, and beneath the wall of the circular internal building, all of them falling in the range of AD 410-640. Secondary rectilinear structures were identified in the trenches in the interior.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -279326  Y:  7823492  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.5092251348752717  Latitude:  57.308767904075104  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Aberdeenshire

Historic County:  Aberdeenshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Oyne

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:  205.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Three radiocarbon dates from below the inner rampart, above the inner rampart and under the internal wall produced dates of AD 530-640, 500-650 and 420-610 respectively. Early medieval decorated glass, a glass bead and evidence of non-ferrous metalworking was also recovered.

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:   None

Evidence:
Artefactual:   Crucibles and metalworking, decorated glass and a glass bead
C14:   Three radiocarbon dates

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1726):   Noted by Alexander Gordon (1726, 162)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1867):   Named in Gothic type on 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Aberdeenshire 1870, sheet 45.13)
Earthwork Survey (1956):   Plan and description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS ABD 4/1-3 & DP 147298-9; Feachem 1963, 105)
Other (1973):   Surveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1976):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1978):   Visited by Regional Archaeologist
Other (1981):   Visited by the Hill-Fort Study Group
Earthwork Survey (1997):   Plan and description by RCAHMS (Halliday 2007, 98, fig 6.25)
Excavation (2007):   Evaluation by Murray Cook (Cook et al 2007; Cook 2011)
Excavation (2008):   Evaluation by Murray Cook (Cook et al 2008; Cook 2011)
Other (2008):   Scheduled

Interior Features

Largely occupied by a large circular stone-walled building. Excavation also revealed traces of rectilinear structures. Excavation identified traces of rectilinear structures.

Water Source

None

Source:
None  
Spring  
Stream  
Pool  
Flush  
Well  
Other  

Surface

Large circular stone-walled building

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

Early medieval decorated glass, a glass bead and evidence of non-ferrous metalworking was also recovered.

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

Aerial

Obscured by 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:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South):   None

Enclosing Works

A small bivallate enclosure with twin ramparts and ditches overlain by a thick-walled circular building

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.08ha.
Total:   0.08ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Overlain by the internal ring-fort

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Discounts the overlying circular building

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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

Ditches

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:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Cook. M (2011) 'New evidence for the activities of Pictish potentates in Aberdeenshire: the hillforts of Strathdon'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 141 (2011), 207-29

Cook, Dunbar and Engl, M, L and R (2008) 'Hillforts of Strathdon: Phase 2 - Maiden Castle and Dunnideer, Aberdeenshire (Insch / Oyne parishes), evaluation'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 9 (2008), 23

Cook, Dunbar and Engl, M, L and R (2007) 'Hillforts of Strathdon: Phase 1 Maiden Castle, Aberdeenshire (Oyne parish), evaluation'. Disc Exc Scot New Ser, 8 (2007), 27-28

Feachem, R (1963) A guide to prehistoric Scotland. Batsford: London

Gordon, A (1726) Itinerarium Septentrionale: or A Journey Thro' most of the Counties of Scotland And Those in the North of England. London

Halliday, S P (2007) The later prehistoric landscape. In RCAHMS (2007) In the Shadow of Bennachie: A Field Archaeology of Donside, Aberdeenshire. RCAHMS & Society of Antiquaries of Scotland: Edinburgh



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


Document Version 1.1