Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC3095 Castle Rock, Auchmithie, Angus

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Angus SMR per Aberdeenshire Council NO64SE0004 (None)

NMR:  NO 64 SE 4 (35531)

SM:  2875

NGR:  NO 6819 4416

X:  368190  Y:  744160  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification occupies a precipitous promontory overlooking the harbour at Auchmithie. The only possible line of approach is from the SW, and here access is barred by at least two ramparts with external ditches, pierced by a central entrance causeway. The roughly triangular interior measures a maximum of 33m from N to S by 30m transversely (0.05ha). The ditches are up to 5m broad and the best preserved of the ramparts, the middle rampart, forms a bank up to 1.7m high. Excavations carried out between 1969 and 1974 examined the greater part of the interior, revealing a metalled pathway, patches of paving and cobbling, several hearths and a scatter of post-holes, but no coherent pattern can be discerned (Ralston 1986). Likewise the character of the inner rampart and possible evidence of timberwork noted on the N side of the entrance.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -280472  Y:  7676438  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.5195249439368514  Latitude:  56.588328315194936  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Angus

Historic County:  Angus

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Arbroath And St Vigeans

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant  
Cropmark  
Likely Destroyed  

Land Use

Currently blanketed in gorse

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:  30.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

While the presence of a rotary quern may indicate a late-Iron age occupation, the rubbers from saddle querns may be rather earlier. There are no diagnostic finds and while Joanna Close-Brookes (1986) argued the case for the similarity of the coarse stone tool assemblage to that from West Mains of Ethie (Atlas No. 3093), which was associated with 1st and 2nd century artefacts, this is hardly conclusive.

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:   Cupmarked stone
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

The excavation archive is held by RCAHMS.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1859):   Annotated Fort on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Forfar 1865, sheet 47.5)
Other (1899):   Description by David Christison (1900, 60)
Other (1956):   Description for RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands
Other (1958):   Visited by the OS
Other (1965):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Excavation (1967):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1968):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1969):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Other (1969):   Scheduled
Excavation (1970):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Gardner 1970; Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1971):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1972):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1973):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Excavation (1974):   By Mr D A Gardner and the Arbroath Antiquary Club (Ralston 1986)
Earthwork Survey (1986):   By Ian Ralston and Kirsty Sabine (Ralston 1986, 103, fig 2)

Interior Features

Excavations within the interior revealed a metalled pathway, patches of paving and cobbling, several hearths and a scatter of post-holes.

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

hearths

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

The finds were mainly coarse stone tools but include two rubbing stones from saddle querns, a rotary quern and seven stone discs; there was also a perforated shale disc. Later material included a scatter of medieval sherds, a piece of lead shot and a small piece of lead slag.

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:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   None

Enclosing Works

At least two ramparts with external ditches cutting off a precipitous promontory

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.05ha.
Total:   0.05ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.15ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

Few post-holes and a row of stones in shallow sockets that may 'have served as chocking for timber uprights' (Ralston 1986, 110)

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

Christison, D (1900) 'The forts, "camps", and other field-works of Perth, Forfar and Kincardine'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 34 (1899-1900), 43-120

Gardner, D A (1970) 'Auchmithie: promontory fort'. Disc Exc Scot (1970), 2

Ralston, I (1987) 'The Arbroath Antiquary Club's excavations at Castle Rock promontory fort, Auchmithie, Arbroath and St Vigeans, Angus District'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 116 (1986), 101-15



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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