Note
Date 3 April 2015 - 31 August 2016
Event ID 1044326
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Note
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1044326
The 15th century tower standing within a courtyard and known as Auchindoun Castle occupies part of an earlier earthwork enclosure which is commonly regarded as the remains of a prehistoric fort (Simpson 1929, 127n). The defences of this earlier earthwork comprise an inner enclosure taking in the summit of the hillock upon which the castle stands, and an outer enclosure at the foot of the slope below, springing from the lip of the escarpment where the ground falls away steeply on the SE to the River Fiddich. The inner enclosure is polygonal on plan and measures about 55m from NE to SW by about 47m transversely (0.22ha) within a ditch up to 7m in breadth and flanked externally by a counterscarp rampart. The ditch of the outer enclosure lies roughly concentric to the inner between 15m and 25m outside its line, and again comprises a broad ditch with and external rampart; a curious feature of this enclosure is the way in which the ditch appears to turn outwards along the lip of the escarpment on the NE. It forms an enclosure measuring some 120m from NE to SW along the chord formed by the escarpment on the SE by at least 75m transversely, though the NW sector has been obliterated by cultivation and the SW sector, which also has an old limekiln set into the scarp of the ditch, is also heavily reduced. The position of the entrance is uncertain, possibly lying where the later approach to the stone castle overlies the defences on the W. The scale and character of these defences are such, however, that they would be very unusual in a prehistoric context and they are more likely to be the remains of an earlier earth and timber castle commanding this important route across the hills to the Cabrach and Rhynie.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 31 August 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2935
