Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC3545 Caddonlee, Selkirkshire

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Scottish Borders 54413 (None)

NMR:  NT 43 NW 7 (54413)

SM:  2497

NGR:  NT 4396 3551

X:  343960  Y:  635510  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort is situated on the summit of the low hill overlooking the roundabout at the junction of the A72 and A707 public roads. A steep escarpment bounds the NW margin of the summit and has escaped cultivation, but the gentler slopes to the S and E lie within improved fields, while the narrow strip between the upper boundary of the fields, which traverses the fort from NE to SW, and the escarpment also bears traces of extensive rig and furrow. Nevertheless, the stubs of three ramparts with intermediate ditches can be seen in this strip of ground at either end of the fort, those on the SW being rather better preserved and forming a belt some 18m deep, while cropmarks have revealed the two ditches in the fields to the SE; indeed the circuit probably once extended along the escarpment on the NW, where the ramparts are reduced to distorted fragments of terraces on the slope. An elongated D-shape on plan, the featureless interior measures about 140m from from NE to SW by 90m transversely (0.12ha). No entrances have been observed.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -321842  Y:  7481164  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.8911600898146372  Latitude:  55.60998649509191  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Scottish Borders

Historic County:  Selkirkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Caddonfoot

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:  193.0m

Boundary

N/A


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

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:   Partly ploughed down and overridden by a field dyke

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

Photographed by CUCAP in 1979, and RCAHMS Aerial Survey Programme in 1982 and 1999

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1858):   Annotated Camp on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Selkirk 1863, sheet 7.8)
Other (1894):   Description, with measurements attributed to James Wilson (Christison 1895, 114-15)
Earthwork Survey (1950):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1957, 91-2, no.119, fig 112; RCAHMS SED 9/1-2)
Other (1965):   Scheduled
Other (1966):   Resurveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Other (1979):   1:2500 checked by OS

Interior Features

Featureless apart from rig-and-furrow, though in 1966 an OS surveyor suggested there was a small scooped enclosure at the NE end

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

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

Stray finds include a fragment of a glass bangle and a rotary quern in NMAS and a spindle whorl in Wilton Lodge, Hawick (HAKMG 4195)

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

None known

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None known

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Three ramparts with intermediate ditches

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.12ha.
Total:   0.12ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.18ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   3
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   3

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:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

Christison, D (1895) 'The forts of Selkirk, the Gala Water, the Southern slopes of the Lammermoors, and the north of Roxburgh'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 29 (1894-50), 108-79

RCAHMS (1957) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. An inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of Selkirkshire with the fifteenth report of the Commission. HMSO: 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


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