Building record MAB10401 - CRAIG DORNEY

Remains of a small hill fort measuring circa 90 m by 45 m overall, first noted on aerial photography in 1984, and recorded in site visit by I.

Remains of a small hill fort measuring circa 90 m by 45 m overall, first noted on aerial photography in 1984, and recorded in site visit by I. and R. Ralston in 1984. The remains of the rampart have been reduced to a terrace of variable width but maximum 2 m which encloses the summit but although littered with stone this does not appear to be derived from a wall. It probably enclosed an area of circa 70 m by 38 m (0.25 ha). At some places around the circuit the terrace has the form of a slight ditch and counterscarp bank although no facing stones are apparent in the bank. At the northeast end, where access is easiest, this terrace is flanked by a second, similar although slighter feature. A further ditch, with a scarp slope on its inner margin, occurs 30 m downslope from principle circuit. On the northwest side traces of the terrace are visible at the foot of the crags. At the southwest end it is replaced by the decayed footings of a drystone wall, circa 2 m wide, and edged on its inner margin by a slight ditch: this again lies below the crags. Within the southwest quadrant of the fort, various traces of straight lengths of dry-stone walling, little more than rickles, are apparent, but these are not necessarily contemporary with the enveloping work. There is a modern cairn within this end of the fort. Much of the interior of the fort is occupied by weathered outcropping bedrock with no clear sign of any structural evidence, though a number of possible flat terraces do occur within the interior. No entrance is evident. Outside the fort, on the southeast side, and in the area of former woodland, there are the possible traces of platforms but the evidence is complicated by much outcropping stone and tumbled boulders. A further roughly level area lies below the crags on the northwest side and would have been suitable for habitation. Excavations at the southwestern side of the fort by the University of Aberdeen in 2020 revealed the outer rampart to comprise of large boulders intermixed with a sterile greyish brown sandy silt. While the trench extended into the interior of the hillfort, it revealed no occupation surfaces or any trances of anthropogenic activity. The trench did not extend beyond the outer edge of the rampart, and as such, did not confirm the presence of an associated ditch. No datable material was found in association with the rampart. Excavations of the interior, at the centre of a flat, sub-oval terrace, identified a denuded rectangular hearth measuring 1.05 m by 1.83 m. This contained a charcoal rich black silt which was dated 430–565 cal AD, showing conclusively that the hilltop was occupied in the early medieval period. What the nature of this occupation was and how it relates to the enclosing elements, was unclear. In 2023 a 5 by 1.5 m trench was excavated by University of Aberdeen across the line of the outer enclosure on the northeastern side of the hillfort to obtain samples to date the construction, use and abandonment of this element of the site. The outer enclosure is apparent on the surface as a narrow berm, with no upstanding remains of an associated bank or ditch. A possible stone wall was identified, with two possible courses of wall facing on either side, measuring approximately 1.8 m wide. Abutting and running underneath the possible inner wall facing stones was a more organic dark brown silty clay with charcoal inclusions that was sampled for radiocarbon dating. At the centre of the hillfort along the central east/west running ridge, a 3 by 6 m trench was excavated to assess and characterise the internal activity at the site. A possible floor deposit and hearth were identified. The floor layer comprised a dark greyish brown clayey silt with frequent moderate charcoal inclusions, around the hearth there was an increase in the frequency in the amount of charcoal. The hearth was located at the southern edge of the possible floor deposit and was comprised of tightly packed flat, heat affected and fire reddened slabs and stones positioned in a roughly rectangular area measuring 1.53 m by 0.78 m. Its size and composition were similar to the early medieval hearth identified in 2020. As part of the site investigations the University of Aberdeen carried out a large-scale drone-based photogrammetric topographical survey of the fort and its immediate environs. This revealed a dense concentration of previously unrecorded round-house features within the immediate landscape, including up to eleven possible round-houses (NJ43NW0145, NJ43NW0146, NJ43NW0147, NJ43NW0148, NJ43NW0149, NJ43NW0150, NJ43NW0151, NJ43NW0152, NJ43NW0153, NJ43SW0043), two possible enclosures (NJ43NW0154, NJ43SW0042), and a mound or possible cairn (NJ43NW0155).

Period Notes
Radiocarbon date: SUERC-98924, sample from hearth on interior platform of the hillfort, 1564 +/- 24 BP, 430-565 cal AD.

RALSTON, IBM, 1984, DES, DES (Bibliographic reference). SAB1518.

RAMBOLL, 2022, CRAIG WATCH WIND FARM EBVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB3194.

O'DRISCOLL, J, 2023, COMPARATIVE KINGSHIP: CRAIG DORNEY HILLFORT. , Excavation Survey Report (Bibliographic reference). SAB1400.

Aug 8 1984 , AAS/84/10-12/R23(2)/8-11, AAS/84/10-12/R23(2)/8-11 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12798.

Aug 8 1984 , AAS/84/10-12/R24/8-10, AAS/84/10-12/R24/8-10 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12796.

Feb 19 1984 , AAS/85/02/R4(2)/7-11, AAS/85/02/R4(2)/7-11 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12797.

Jul 17 1984 , AAS/84/05/R10/11, AAS/84/05/R10/11 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12794.

Jul 20 1984 , AAS/84/06-07/R15(2)/3-4, AAS/84/06-07/R15(2)/3-4 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12795.

Mar 16 1990 , AAS/90/02/S7/1-8, AAS/90/02/S7/1-8 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB35056.

Mar 16 1990 , AAS/90/2/CT1-4, AAS/90/2/CT1-4 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB19487.

Mar 29 1989 , IR 32-37, IR 32-37 (Ground Photograph). SAB33657.

Record last edited

Sep 1 2025 2:29PM