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Field Visit
Date 28 September 1920
Event ID 1087932
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1087932
This fort (fig. 178, plan) is situated on a promontory called the ‘Friar's Nose’ (locally ‘Knowes’) the eastern extremity of Priestlaw Hill, which lies in the angle formed by the Whitadder Water and its tributary on the right bank, the Kilmade Burn, at an elevation of 800 feet above sea-level, and within a stone-throw of the Berwickshire boundary. The fort is pear-shaped, with its narrowest end to the south and its longest axis north and south, and measures internally, from crest to crest, 410 feet with a greatest width from east to west of 285 feet. The east side falls away steeply to the Kilmade Burn 60 feet below, and this steep natural face continues round the north side above the valley of the Whitadder. On these sides, therefore, the fortifications have been economised. There is an entrance on the east from which a rampart runs southwards, fully 30 feet in from the crest of the natural slope, leaving a terrace between itself and the crest. This single rampart continues northwards from the entrance as the inmost defence of the fort, but two outer ramparts (fig. 179, sections), respectively 47 and 78 feet distant from the crest of the inmost one, also begin, and are continued round the north sector to the northwest entrance, the outmost being somewhat down the face of the slope. About 150 feet before reaching this north-west entrance the outmost forks inwards to merge with the inner rampart, thus forming a traverse, while the inmost ends in a mound directly opposite the entrance. For 90 feet from the entrance the rampart overlaps itself on the outer side. From this entrance, which passes through all the defences and is 15 feet wide, to the south-western entrance these three ramparts are continued with an additional but smaller one between the inmost and the middle ramparts, giving four ramparts on the most assailable side facing the level from Priestlaw Hill. On this smaller rampart about 110 feet south of the north-west entrance are two impinging hut circles. The south-western entrance, with a width of about 18 feet, passes three of the defences but does not pierce the inmost one. From this entrance to the south-east corner the three main ramparts only continue, until the two outer tail off where they meet the crest of the natural slope; the inmost one apparently continuing its course round but being for about hundred feet now indiscernible. The enclosures is studded with indications of hut circles.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 28 September 1920.
