Archaeology Notes

Event ID 693363

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/693363

(NR 1911 6492) A fort (RCAHMS) mentioned by Pennant as being named 'Burg-coul' and being asociated with Fingal. He could see 'vestiges of various habitations'. It is an isolated, and, at high tides insulated promontory cut off by two adjoining chasms, and accessible by only one narrow, steep, rock, worn path near the SE corner. The promontory is surmounted and encircled by a narrow but defensive wall enclosing about 2 1/2 acres. The approach is guarded by a re-entranct angle in the wall which forms a pennannular expansion at the SE overlooking the juncture of the two gullies to which a steep walled-off slope gives access from the 'mainland'.

T Pennant 1772; 1774; F Newall and H E Newall 1961

Am Burg promontory, as stated, is isolated from the mainland by two deep inlets on the NE and SE sides. Utilized as a fort, (no local name) it has an occupiable area of approximately 2 hectares.

The only artificial defences are two short lengths of low and overgrown rubble walling, 0.5m high along the top of the cliff edge flanking each side of the approach path on the SE side. This steep path appears partly rock-cut and in places worn smooth. Elsewhere, the cliff line precludes the need for further defensive walling.

The interior is largely of outcrop and is featureless except for the foundations of a divided rectangular structure, 16.0m by 6.0m, with crude walling up to 0.6m high which is probably of relatively recent date.

Surveyed at 1:10,000.

Visited by (JRL) 31 May 1978