Watching Brief

Date 13 November 2006 - 15 November 2006

Event ID 556048

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/556048

NJ 6825 2240 A watching brief was maintained from 13-15 November 2006 during the construction of a new path. The monitoring revealed a stone block, possibly a step, near the inner entrance to the fort. This is likely to represent part of an earlier modern path.

Within the fort and also close to the entrance were noted two stone blocks running across the path tray on a NW-SE alignment. Immediately below this and to the S, with a visible width of approx 1m, was a roughly compacted spread of cobbles. This spread was confined to the W by a large stone on the slope of the tor and to the E by rubble. A small sondage was excavated to determine the nature of the deposits below the cobbles. This revealed a dark, gravelly silt deposit that lay directly on top of bedrock. The function of these features is uncertain, although they are tentatively interpreted as a structure and surface; perhaps vestiges of one of the roundhouses located in this area by Maclagan in 1876. Two fragments of oak (Quercus) charcoal were retrieved from a sample taken from the deposit beneath the cobbles and submitted for radiocarbon dating. They provided calibrated dates AD 640-780 and AD 340-540 at a two-sigma level of confidence. The dates support the interpretation of the fort as being early historic in origin.

Approximately 14m to the N of these features was noted a loose concentration of what appear to be heat-affected stones. The stones were not vitrified and did not appear to be part of a structure. It is considered that they represent loose rubble and tumble at the base of the slope.

Archive to be deposited with RCAHMS. Report deposited with Aberdeenshire SMR and RCAHMS

Funder: The Forestry Commission Scotland.

Dan Atkinson, 2006.