Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1016622
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1016622
The gorge of the Culter Water provides access to an attractive group of minor valleys containing a remarkable collection of prehistoric and later monuments, which include at least six defended settlements, a crannog and numerous cultivation terraces.
The best preserved of the remains is the multi-period fort known as Cow Castle. On the ground its jumble of ramparts is difficult to disentangle, but with the aid of an aerial photograph and an interpretative plan, the various phases can be readily distinguished. Two main periods are represented, with the defences of the earlier work being partially overlain or reused in the later phase. In Period 1 the defences comprise two ramparts and ditches (lA and B) with, on the inner side of the south section of lA, a quarry scoop dug to provide additional material for the rampart. Access was provided by two inturned gateways placed close to the steep north-west flank of the hill. This is a characteristic position for gateways on prehistmic earthworks, as it makes maximum use of the defensive potential of the site, while on similar medieval sites the entrances are frequently more centrally placed. In the second period the area enclosed was reduced in size with the construction of ramparts HA and B, but wherever possible sections of the earlier defences were used. Traces of at least three ling-ditch houses are visible within the forti one, on the north-east, appears to belong to Period 1 as its outer wall-line is cut by the Period H ditch, and the others were probably built during Period II (although their wall-lines must have become very close to the rampart).
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Clyde Estuary and Central Region’, (1985).
