Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC3033 Moncreiffe Hill, Perthshire

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust MPK3203 (None)

NMR:  NO 11 NW 7 (28058)

SM:  9438

NGR:  NO 1313 1988

X:  313130  Y:  719880  (OSGB36)

Summary

The remains of a fort are situated on a local summit along the ridge of Moncrieffe Hill. Its defences comprise a heavily degraded rampart reduced to little more than a scarp which can be traced round the margins of the summit on the E, N and W. A line of facing stones is visible on the NW, where excavation in 2014 revealed a mass of tumbled stones on the slope below; further excavations in 2015 are being carried out to discover whether there are also outer defences lower down this slope below. A second trench through the rampart in 2014 showed that its core on the ENE was substantially of turf, while the extension of the trench down the slope in 2015 has revealed traces of what may be cut steps in the bedrock. The interior, which is featureless, is irregular on plan, measuring about 70m from ENE to WSW by 50m transversely (0.27ha), and there are entrances on the W and E. Fugitive traces of occupation were revealed by an evaluation trench in the interior, and finds to date include pottery, a fragment of shale bracelet, a few coarse stone tools and a possible gaming piece.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -379344  Y:  7631078  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.4077092079451194  Latitude:  56.36328566493745  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Perth & Kinross

Historic County:  Perthshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Dunbarney

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Clearing having previously been under trees

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:  180.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

No report yet available

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:
C14:   None

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1860):   Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 98.14; Name Book, Perthshire, No.23, p 11)
Other (1899):   Visited by David Christison (1900, 80)
Other (1964):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1996):   Visited by RCAHMS
Other (2001):   Scheduled
Earthwork Survey (2012):   Plan (Oxford North 2012, Fig 4)
Earthwork Survey (2014):   AOC Archaeology
Excavation (2014):   Evaluation directed by David Strachan with AOC Archaeology
Excavation (2015):   Evaluation directed by David Strachan with AOC Archaeology

Interior Features

Featureless

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

No details yet published

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

Pottery, a fragment of shale bracelet, a few coarse stone tools and a possible gaming piece.

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

See main summary

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   Incomplete circuit

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None
2. Oblique (West):   Approached by track obliquely up the slope below the rampart
2. Simple Gap (West):   None

Enclosing Works

Single rampart on three sides.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.27ha.
Total:   0.27ha.

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:   0
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

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

Oxford North (2012) Hill-forts of the Inner Tay Estuary, Perth, Perth and Kinross: Phase One. Archaeological Survey Report



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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