Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

SC3075 Loch Kinord, Aberdeenshire (Gardybien; Gardiebane; Loch Kinnord; Loch Canmor)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record NO49NW0006 (None)

NMR:  NO 49 NW 11 (33979)

SM:  None

NGR:  NO 4442 9900

X:  344420  Y:  799000  (OSGB36)

Summary

This low-lying promontory jutting out from the southern shore of Loch Kinord has been cut off from the land on the S by a bank with external ditch drawn in an arc across its neck. The bank is capped by a collapsed stone dyke and stands up to 3m above the bottom of the ditch, the counterscarp of which is also revetted by a later dyke. The interior, which measures about 95m from NNW to SSE by up to 85m transversely (0.6ha), contains footings of two rectangular buildings. According to John Stuart, writing in the mid 19th century, there had been a metalled roadway leading to what he took to be a drawbridge across the ditch (1866, 169-70). Most recently two small trenches were excavated across elements of the perimeter (Stratigos 2015), but failed to elucidate anything of the date or character of this earthwork.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -324884  Y:  7776224  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -2.918486962928425  Latitude:  57.07871095675655  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Scotland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Aberdeenshire

Historic County:  Aberdeenshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Glenmuick, Tullich And Deeside

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:  165.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

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:   Interior contains two rectangular buildings

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

None

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1866):   Description (Stuart 1866, 169-70)
Other (1910):   Description by Sir Alexander Ogston (1931, 29; Michie 1910, 96)
1st Identified Map Depiction (1969):   Surveyed at 1:2500 by the OS
Excavation (2015):   By M Stratigos of Aberdeen Unibersity (https://scottishcrannogs.wordpress.com/)

Interior Features

The footings of two rectangular buildings

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:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None known

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Single bank and ditch

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.6ha.
Total:   0.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Bank and ditch overlain by later enclosure walls adopting the same line

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

and ditch

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

Michie, J G (1910) Loch Kinnord: its history and antiquities. New and revised edition. Aberdeen

Ogston, A (1931) The prehistoric antiquities of the Howe of Cromar. (Simpson, W D ed) Third Spalding Club:Aberdeen

Stratigos. M (2015) 'Excavation at the Gardiebane Peninsula. https://scottishcrannogs.wordpress.com/

Stuart, J (1868) 'Notice of a group of artificial islands in the Loch of Dowalton, Wigtonshire, and of other artificial islands or "Crannogs" throughout Scotland'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 6 (1864-66), 114-78



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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