Earthwork record MAB44531 - BARRA HILLFORT

Remains of hill fort, comprising three ramparts, and bearing a certain resemblances to the Barmekin of Echt (NJ70NW0013).

Remains of hill fort, comprising three ramparts, and bearing a certain resemblances to the Barmekin of Echt (NJ70NW0013). The innermost line of defence is a ruined wall, measuring 2.3m thick and 0.8m high, with a single entrance in the east. Two ramparts and ditches lying outside this have three entrances, two of which are still flanked with the remains of walls. The innermost wall is almost certainly a later structure than the outer two. The medial rampart - a soil dump measuring 0.23m high and 1,54m wide - incorporates, on the northwest side, a steep rock outcrop, at the north end of which is a gap where the rampart merges with the third rampart. This gap appears to be covered by a short stretch of additional rampart on the outside of the defences. The outer rampart is made of stone and has two construction phases. It measures 1.75m thick and up to 0.65m in height. The interior has long been under plough with rig and furrow causing damage to the north sector of the defences. It measures 122m by 95m and is featureless except for a huge erratic boulder which must have been placed on the hill in glacial times (locally known as Wallace's Putting Stone). The site is traditionally the encampment of the Comyns at the Battle of Old Meldrum. Much of the surrounding slopes of the hill are now overlain with rig and furrow. Significant numbers of pottery sherds continue to appear as a result of mole and rabbit activity on the site. As part of the Hillforts of Strathdon Project five trenches were dug in July 2009 (Oxford Archaeology North). They revealed significant quantities of charcoal and artefacts including possible Grooved Ware. An internal rock cut ring groove feature was also identified. The excavation recorded five phases of human activity: early prehistoric, Neolithic to middle Iron Age, late prehistoric, early medieval (Pictish) and medieval to modern. A variety of unstratified worked lithics, mostly debitage, indicate some form of domestic activity in the Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. Lithics from the outer and middle ramparts indicates their construction during or after the Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. An inner rampart blocking off earlier entrances to north, south and southwest was constructed in the early to middle Iron Age. The only evidence from the early medieval period is the outer ditch which was excavation at the base of the middle rampart. A calibrated radiocarbon date of 560 - 360 BC was obtained from the basal fill of the ditch associated with the inner enclosure. A calibrated radiocarbon date of AD 380-580 has been obtained from the primary fill of the ditch between the two outer ramparts.

Period Notes
Radiocarbon date: SUERC-28728 (GU-21232) - charcoal (Alnus/corylus): 1615+/-35BP (which equals 355AD - 542AD at 2 sigma): SUERC-28729 (GU-21233) charcoal (Alnus/corylus): 2405+/-35 BP (which equals 747BC - 396BC at 2 sigma).

FEACHEM, RW, 1963, PREHISTORIC SCOTLAND, 104 (Bibliographic reference). SAB503.

POTTERY

RALSTON, IBM, 1981, HILLFORT STUDIES GROUP (Bibliographic reference). SAB1528.

RALSTON, IBM, 1983, BAR 118, 160 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1527.

POTTERY

SHEPHERD, I, 1996, ABERDEEN AND NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (2ND ED), p.145 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4829.

HOWARD, W.J., 1999, DES : BARRA HILLFORT, 7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB808.

POTTERY

HOWARD, W. J., 2000, BARRA HILL, DES 2000 p8-9, p8-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2683.

POTTERY

BOGDAN, N, 2008, EARLY CASTLES OF ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3811.

ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL, 2010, A LAD O'PAIRTS: A DAY CONFERENCE IN MEMORY OF IAIN SHEPHERD, pp62-65 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8471.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2010, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND: VOL 10, 2009, p.19 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3514.

COOK, M, 2012, NEW EVIDENCE FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF PICTISH POTENTATES IN ABERDEENSHIRE: THE HILLFORTS OF STRATHDON. , PSAS 141, 207-229 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5355.

COOK, M, 2012, THE ALTERED EARTH: EXCAVATIONS AT HILL OF BARRA, OLDMELDRUM. IN TAYSIDE AND FIFE ARCH. J. 18, 27-40, Excav report (Bibliographic reference). SAB5341.

COOK, M, 2013, OPEN OR ENCLOSED: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND HILLFORT CONSTRUCTION IN STRATHDON, 1800BC - AD1000 IN PPS 79, PP327-352, PPS 79, 327-352 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6619.

Aug 9 1977 , AAS/77/11/S5/3,5,8, AAS/77/11/S5/3,5,8 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14552.

Feb 1 1999 , AAS/99/03/CT43-60, AAS/99/03/CT43-60 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB17135.

Feb 16 1985 , AAS/85/02/R5/5, AAS/85/02/R5/5 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14553.

Jan 25 1999 , AAS/99/01/G2/3-7, AAS/99/01/G2/3-7 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB17134.

Jul 18 2006 , AAS/06/2/CT34-36, AAS/06/2/CT34-36 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB19277.

Jul 22 1960 , ACH 2, ACH 2 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14555.

Jul 28 1945 , D 64-5, D 64-5 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14554.

Jun 17 1990 , KD 4-9, KD 4-9 (Ground Photograph). SAB33797.

Mar 1 2011 , AAS/2011/2/DG3459-64, AAS/2011/2/DG3459-64 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB13509.

Record last edited

Apr 3 2024 10:35AM