Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC4381 An Dun, Cornhill Wood, Ross-shire

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  None None (None)

NMR:  NH 45 SE 57 (339438)

SM:  None

NGR:  NH 4584 5196

X:  245840  Y:  851960  (OSGB36)

Summary

This fort lies 80m E of the summit of An Dun, where cliffs on the N and S, and a steep slope falling away to the E form a promontory. Internally it measures about 52m from E to W by 29m transversely (0.15ha) and is defended by a band of three walls some 20m long by 21.5m deep barring access from the W. The innermost turns back briefly onto the N and S sides before disappearing, but the flanks are otherwise undefended. The walls are all reduced to mounds of rubble, but a line of outer facing-stones can be seen within the margin of the innermost, which rises 1.8m high and is spread 7m thick. The second wall lies 4m outside the first and is spread 5m in thickness by 1.2m in height, while the third, a further 3m to the exterior, about 2.5m in thickness by 1m in height. The two outer walls stop short of the cliff-edge on the S, possibly indicating the position of an entrance. The interior is featureless.

Status

Citizen Science:  

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -509453  Y:  7869542  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.576495095060052  Latitude:  57.53152112783267  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Highland

Historic County:  Ross-shire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Urray

Monument Condition

At the edge of a plantation and largely planted with conifers

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:  215.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

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:   Planted with conifers

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First recorded by Angus Graham in 1943 as part of RCAHMS wartime emergency surveys, and re-visited by RCAHMS in 2014.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1943):   Visited by Angus Graham during RCAHMS wartime Emergency Surveys
Other (2014):   Visited by RCAHMS

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

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

None

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:   Defences only present on one side and possible access up the steep slope on the E

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Gap in outer walls on the W

Guard Chambers:  

Chevaux de Frise:  

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   Only pierces outer walls

Enclosing Works

Three walls barring access to a promontory

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.15ha.
Total:   0.15ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   0
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:  None

Annex:
✗   None

References

No related records



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