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Archaeology Notes

Event ID 679020

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/679020

NN91SE 11 9762 1273.

Castle Craig, a large rocky knoll, is occupied by a fort comparable with that on Norman's Law (NO32SW 22). The summit is occupied by a roughly circular 'Citadel', some 28.0m in diameter, enclosed by a stone wall, now reduced to ground level. On the N side, a rock-cut ditch some 25.0m long, 5.0m wide and 1.0m deep, gives additional protection while on the S, where the approach is easiest, a ditch and outer ramparts add further strength; quarrying here has partly destroyed or mutilated these defences. An outwork (probably earlier in date), some 120m from the citadel and at a much lower level, has enclosed Castle Craig; for the most part it has followed the edge of the rock faces of the knoll. Traces of huts can be seen SSW of the 'citadel'.

Visited by OS 19 December 1967.

Quarrying operations have destroyed the eastern extremities of the two low-lying, outermost ramparts and have disturbed a group of pits. A section across the outer rampart revealed that it was built almost entirely of flat igneous slabs, common to the area. The rampart was severly robbed but it is possible to state that it was originally about 2.5m thick with a retaining wall at the front, and probably at the rear also. The surviving height of the rampart is 0.5m; beneath the rampart is up to 0.25m of accumulated layers of soil containing small quantities of charcoal and cremated bone.

At NN 9758 1266, revealed in the quarry-edge, was a rock-cut pit 0.7 wide and 0.6m deep. The contents of this feature were small quantities of charcoal and cremated bone contained in a matrix of loose, black earth. A small section of jet armlet was also found, approximately one sixth of an armlet originally about 58mm in internal diameter. The pit was disturbed but part of a shattered capstone was found in situ. Excavation revealed the presence of a further nine pits each covered by a flat slab but none as large as the first. Some were rock cut but most were merely cut into the thin layer of till which overlies the bedrock. Most of the pits yielded extremely small quantities of charcoal and cremated bone and two small sherds of pottery of indeterminate type were also recovered.

The pits were grouped together in an area of about 10m square at a height of about 128m OD. Finds from the excavation and a copy of the archive have been deposited in Perth Museum (Acc. No 1983.550-552).

J Sherriff 1979; A G Reid 1984.

Scheduled as Castle Craig, fort SSW of Pairney.

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 23 February 2001.

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