Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC1592 Abbey Craig, Stirlingshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Stirling 1217 (None)

NMR:  NS 89 NW 10 (47113)

SM:  2542

NGR:  NS 8094 9565

X:  280940  Y:  695650  (OSGB36)

Summary

The Wallace Monument stands within the interior of a fort backing onto the cliff-edge that forms the western flank of the Abbey Craig. Elsewhere, drawn in a broad arc around the E half a rampart can be seen, forming a bank up to 10m in thickness by 1m in height, and enclosing an area measuring 53m from NNE to SSW by 38m transversely (0.16ha). Some 30m outside this line a second rampart has been identified, largely reduced to a terrace about 3.5m broad and up to 1m high, swinging around the E flank of the hill (Aitchison 1981). A watching brief carried out in 2001 identified two phases of construction in the inner rampart, the earlier of which was a timber-laced wall, which, following its destruction by burning and vitrifaction, had been rebuilt with earth and stones (Glendinning 2001); samples of charcoal have returned dates of AD 560-730 (SUAT 2001). A more recent community-based excavation confirmed the character of the outer rampart and also recovered pieces of vitrified stone from it (Cook et al 2011).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✓

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -436100  Y:  7586078  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.9175570593460685  Latitude:  56.13870501775173  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Stirling

Historic County:  Stirlingshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Logie

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:  105.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Dates in SUAT 2001 and reported in secondary sources

Reliability:  B - Medium

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

Noted in 1792 as a battery (Stat Acct 3, 1792, 288), in 1841 The New Statistical Account records the discovery of a hoard of bronze spearheads in 1784 (NSA, 8, Stirlingshire, 227; Nimmo 1880, vol 1, 373). The first depiction of the fort itself appears to be on the 1st edition 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 133.13). It was surveyed by RCAHMS in 1952 during the Survey of Marginal Lands and included in the County Inventory for Stirlingshire (RCAHMS 1963, 71, no.69, fig 8). It was Scheduled in 1966 and the OS survey was revised at 1:1250 in 1973. RCAHMS revisited in 1978, and Nick Aitchison reported the outer rampart in 1981 (Aitchison 1981). A watching brief was maintained when new floodlighting was introduced in 2001, creating several exposures of the inner rampart (Glendinning 2001; SUAT 2001), and Murray Cook led a community based excavation project here in 2011 (Cook et al 2011).

Investigations:
Other (1784):   Hoard of bronze spearheads found (NSA, 8, Stirlingshire, 227; Nimmo 1880, vol 1, 373)
1st Identified Written Reference (1792):   Noted (Stat Acct 3, 1792, 288)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1862):   Annotated Camp on the 1st edition 25-inch map (Perth and Clackmannan 1866, sheet 133.13)
Earthwork Survey (1952):   Plan and description during RCAHMS Survey of Marginal Lands (RCAHMS 1963, 71, no.69, fig 8; RCAHMS STD 2/1-3)
Other (1966):   Scheduled
Other (1973):   Revised at 1:1250 by the OS
Other (1978):   Description by RCAHMS
Other (1981):   Nick Aitchison reports outer rampart (1981)
Excavation (2001):   Watching brief (Glendinning 2001; SUAT 2001)
Excavation (2011):   (Cook et al 2011)

Interior Features

Largely occupied by the Wallace Monument

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

Hammerstone. Most of the other finds relate to the building of the monument in the interior and visitors thereafter.

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:   Breaks at the cliff-edge are heavily modified, but either or both could be original

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Two ramparts visible, with a probable third rampart revealed by excavation

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.16ha.
Total:   0.16ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

Outer bank is vitrified and timber-laced with overlying earthen bank

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

Aitchison, N B (1981) 'Abbey Craig (Logie p) rampart'. Disc Exc Scot 1981, 7

Cook, Bird, Dinning, Rocks-Macqueen, M, C, S and D (2011) 'The Abbey Craig Dig, Stirling (Logie parish), evaluation'. Disc Exc Scot, New ser 12 (2011), 179

Feachem, R W (1963) Guide to Prehistoric Scotland. Batsford: Edinburgh (p 157)

Glendinning, B (2001) 'Wallace Monument Replacement Floodlighting, Stirling (Logie parish), hillfort', Discy Exc Scot, New ser 2 (2001), 97

NSA (1834-1845) The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy.

Nimmo, W (1880) The history of Stirlingshire (2nd ed). London

RCAHMS (1963) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Stirlingshire: an inventory of the ancient monuments, 2v. HMSO: Edinburgh

Stat Acct (date) Statistical Account of Scotland: Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers of the Different Parishes (Sinclair, J ed), 1791-99

SUAT 2001 Scottish Urban Archaeological Trust. A watching brief at Wallace Monument, Stirling. Data Structure 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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