Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC1654 Shiel Burn, Lanarkshire

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  The West of Scotland Archaeology Service 10442 (None)

NMR:  NS 92 NE 3 (47357)

SM:  None

NGR:  NS 9655 2702

X:  296550  Y:  627025  (OSGB36)

Summary

This small fortification utilises the steep S bank of the Shiel Burn, which here flows through a gorge some 20m deep, to provide protection along its N flank. Elsewhere, drawn in a broad D-shaped arc, there is an earthen rampart measuring up to 9m in thickness by 1.5m in internal height, with an external ditch up to 6m in breadth; a low counterscarp bank can be seen on the SW. The interior measures 52m from E to W by 27m transversely (0.12ha) and the entrance is probably on the E, where the rampart terminates short of the edge of the gully. Apart from a later turf-bank, which follows the line of the rampart and extends along the lip of the gorge, the interior is featureless.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -405239  Y:  7464629  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.6403235633960116  Latitude:  55.52600091903553  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  South Lanarkshire

Historic County:  Lanarkshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Lamington And Wandel

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

In effect the edge of the gorge here forms a shallow promontory.

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:  305.0m

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:   Overlain by post-medieval turf-banked enclosure

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First depicted as a 'Camp' on William Forest's map of The County of Lanark from Actual Survey (1816), it is shown in more detail in 1859 on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Lanarkshire 1864, sheet 43.6), it was visited and sketch-planned by David Christison in 1889 (Christison 1890, 304-6, fig 8). It was visited by the OS in 1955 and 1973, and by RCAHMS in 1963, who prepared a plan in 1970 for the County Inventory of Lanarkshire (RCAHMS 1978, 154, no.317, fig 100).

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1816):   William Forest's map of The County of Lanark from Actual Survey (1816)
Other (1859):   Annotated Camp on the 1st edition OS 25-inch map (Lanarkshire 1864, sheet 43.6)
Earthwork Survey (1889):   Sketch-plan and description by David Christison (1890, 304-6, fig 8)
Other (1955):   Visited by the OS
Other (1963):   Visited by RCAHMS
Earthwork Survey (1970):   Plan and description (RCAHMS 1978, 154, no.317, fig 100; RCAHMS LAD 166/1-2)
Other (1973):   Visited by the OS

Interior Features

Featureless apart from the post-medieval turf-banked enclosure

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

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 (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Single rampart and ditch, with traces of a counterscarp bank, cutting off what is in effect a shallow promontory

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

Total Footprint Area:  0.24ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   0
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:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Christison, D (1890) 'Forts, camps, and motes of the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 24 (1889-90), 281-352

RCAHMS (1978) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Lanarkshire: an inventory of the prehistoric and Roman monuments. 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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