Building record MAB42410 - DUNNICAER

Remains of settlement.

Remains of settlement. The grass-covered remains of a small sub-circular structure have been noted at the northeast end. Thought to have been an ancient settlement but the site has never been properly explored. Watt believed it to have been a fort used at some time as the retreat of a hermit. Stuart suggested it was an ecclesiastical settlement of early missionaries, while Simpson believed it could have been a retreat for Ninianic missionaries occupying the promontory on which stands Dunnottar Castle (NO88SE0007). In 1832 several stones were thrown into the sea from a low buried wall along part of the edge of the rock. Subsequently a number of them were recovered and six of them, bearing Pictish symbols were published by Stuart, who maintained that there were other stones which had disappeared. Alexander Thomson purchased 5 of the illustrated stones and had them preserved at Banchory House (NO88SE0027, NJ90SW0039). Small scale excavation in April 2015 has uncovered a hearth and remains of ramparts. Evidence for beam slots, postholes and both timber and stone elements suggest that a substantial timber-framed rampart at least 2m wide existed on the south and north sides of the upper terrace. The rampart had been extensively robbed which tallies with reports by a 19th century report that the locals knew the site as a source of good building stone. Further excavation was carried out in 2016. The main trench in the upper terrace uncovered two stone-built hearths and associated floor layers. A fragment of Samian pottery was found associated with one of the buildings. Adjacent to the floor layers were two pits which contained multiple sherds of handmade pottery, and a pit which contained a burnishing stone for metalworking. Further trenches in the upper terrace identified a metalled road towards the west part of the promontory and revetment material on the south side of the stack. In the lower terrace multiple floor layers and two hearths, one on top of the other, were identified. No postholes were identified suggesting that the walls of the structure were made of turf or non earthfast timber. Further excavation in 2017 uncovered a series of structures and hearths that survived on the upper terrace.

Period Notes
Radiocarbon dates (2018, calibrated Oxcal 4,3): Poz-98949, 1745+/-30 BP, calibrated to 231-385 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98950, 1700+/-30 BP, calibrated to 253-406 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98951, 1875+/-30 BP, calibrated to 70-224 AD at 2 sigma; Poz98952, 1630+/-30 BP, calibrated to 346-536 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98953, 1720+/-30 BP, calibrated to 248-391 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98954, 1735+/-30 BP, calibrated to 240-385 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98956, 1745+/-30 BP, calibrated to 231-385 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98959, 1695+/-35 BP, calibrated to 252-415 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98958, 1620+/-35 BP, calibrated to 350-540 AD at 2 sigma; Poz-98957, 1760+/-35 BP, calibrated to 143-384 AD at 2 sigma

BBC NEWS WEBSITE, , BBC NEWS WEBSITE, 16/04/15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3784.

BBC NEWS WEBSITE, , BBC NEWS WEBSITE, 28/07/15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3784.

STUART, J, 1856, SCULPTURED STONES OF SCOTLAND, 14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1800.

THOMSON, A, 1858, PSAS 3(1857-8) 69-75, 69-75 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1962.

ALLEN, JR, 1903, EARLY CHRISTIAN MONUMENTS OF SCOTLAND 3, 200-1 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3.

WATT, JC, 1914, MEARNS OF OLD, 53 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2005.

RITCHIE, J, 1915, PSAS 49(1914-15) 33-49, 34-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1500.

SHEPHERD, I A G, 1983, PICTISH SETTLEMENT PROBLEMS IN NE SCOTLAND. IN: CHAPMAN, J & MYTUM, H (EDS) SETTLEMENT IN NORTH BRITAIN – 1000BC-1000AD, 327-56 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1630.

NOBLE, G, 2015, NORTHERN PICTS: DUNNICAER SEA STACK EVALUATION 2015: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB1346.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2017, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 17, 2016, p. 14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6497.

NOBLE, G, 2020, DUNNICAER, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND: A ROMAN IRON AGE PROMONTORY FORT BEYOND THE FRONTIER. ARTICLE FOR TAFAJ (Bibliographic reference). SAB3012.

RCAHMS, n.d., S KINC LIST, No209 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1512.

Record last edited

Apr 16 2025 2:44PM