Archaeology Notes

Event ID 832784

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/832784

NJ16NW 1 1090 6914

(NJ 109 691) Fort (NR)

OS 6" map, (1959)

For well at NJ 1102 6915, see NJ16NW 2.

For coastguard station, rescue equipment store, lookout point and storm signal within the area of the fort, see NJ16NW 88.00 (NJ 1083 6913) and NJ16NW 88.01 (NJ 1084 6917).

The mutilated remains of a massive promontory fort, possibly dating from the 4th to 7th century AD, which was practically destroyed by early 19th century 'improvements'.

As planned by Roy in the mid-18th century the fort consisted of three ramparts with ditches, cutting off the headland of Burghead, on which lay a bisected, walled enclosure the larger of whose 'courts' on the NNE lay at a lower level than the other.

The cross-ramparts appear to have been about 800' in length and 180' in overall width, all three broken by an entrance about mid-way. They were destroyed by being 'hurled each into its foss and built over' (H W Young 1891). The enclosure measured about 1000' in maximum length and 600' in width. Excavation by Small of the higher court revealed that only a tiny portion near the Coastguard houses remained undisturbed. Sections through the remaining west rampart showed that the wall still stood some 10' high beneath a covering of sand. It is 27' to 28' wide and consists of rubble infill retained on either side by a carefully built revetting wall. None of the sections showed any evidence of domestic occupation, although temporary occupation was indicated during the Iron Age, Norse and Early Medieval periods. This agrees with the finds from Hugh Young's excavations in the early 1890's although he also found a Late Bronze Age spearhead (NJ16NW 31) and a Greek coin of Nero (54-68 AD).

The timbers which were thought to indicate timber-lacing of the walls are in fact probably supports for a wall-walk or other structures. Carbon 14 gives dates of AD 340 and 610 for them, and therefore, according to MacKie for the construction of the fort. He further assumes from this that it was built by the Picts in the early part of their period, and was not in existence during the Roman occupation of southern Scotland. It had previously been claimed as Roman and wrongly identified as Ptolemy's 'Pteroton Stratopedon'.

W Roy 1793; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1890; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1891; H W Young 1891; O G S Crawford 1949; J M Coles 1962; R W Feachem 1963; A Small 1966; E MacKie 1969.

Only very mutilated fragments of the fort remain as a result of the various excavations and general destruction, the best-preserved portion being the N rampart. Traces of the cross rampart running WNW/ESE are evidenced by occasional exposure of rubble construction. Some of the finds from Young's excavations are in National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS), others are in the museum at the harbour master's office at Burghead.

Information from OS (W D J) 16 September 1963.

A Roman melon bead from this site is in NMAS.

A S Robertson 1970.

Burghead, promontory fort. Air photographs: AAS/97/12/G27/12 and AAS/97/12/CT.

NMRS, MS/712/29.

(Scheduled with chapel NJ16NW 6).

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 25 September 1998.

A programme of archaeological research, survey and limited excavation was undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd in preparation for the production and installation of interpretation boards.

A topographic survey was carried out in order to accurately locate the positions of earlier excavations on the promontory. Watching briefs were maintained during the resurfacing of access tracks to the Coastguard houses and during excavation of foundations for four of the cairns on which display boards were to be mounted. However, no artefacts or archaeologically significant deposits were encountered.

Sponsors: Moray Council, Burghead Headland Trust & Historic Scotland

Information from Alexander, Ralston and Hicks 2001, CFA Report 636 (MS/1081/8)

NJ 109 691 At Burghead Fort, excavations were undertaken between February and April 2002, and a watching brief was conducted during further construction works between April and July 2002 in advance of the proposed construction of an interpretation centre within the 19th-century coastguard lookout. This lookout is set at the N end of the fort on top of the rampart which separates the upper and lower wards. The lookout is specifically excluded from the Scheduling of the fort.

The excavation of deposits within the lookout demonstrated that it had been built on top of extant rampart core material with little resultant disturbance of the rampart beneath. A section excavated through the rampart at this point demonstrated that it was stone-built of dump construction with no evidence for timber-lacing. The body of the rampart consisted of a mixture of large waterworn stones and apparently quarried sandstone with pockets of large beach pebbles, within a sand matrix. Fragments of sandstone were present throughout. There appeared to be little organised structure to the rampart's construction, although some variation could be seen within the rampart core; for example, pockets of beach pebbles were locally prevalent. Larger stones were visible towards the base of the section, with more voids present, perhaps indicating that a layer of basal stones had been laid on the ground surface initially to mark out the line of the rampart and/or provide a firm foundation for the rampart. The section of rampart excavated measured 8m wide (max.) and 3.00-3.25m high (max.). The excavation within the lookout did not extend through the inner or outer faces of the rampart due to the constraints imposed by working within the confines of that building. No artefacts were recovered.

Sealed beneath the rampart was a sequence of well-preserved organic deposits. Further excavation of these deposits showed that there were two old land surfaces separated by windblown sand, with relict dune sands beneath. These land surfaces were organic-rich and contained charred plant remains. No features were noted within these deposits.

Data Structure Reports deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsor: Moray Council for Burghead Headland Trust.

M Johnson 2002.

NJ 109 691 The key aim of this project in September 2003 was to identify and, if possible, date elements of the landward triple rampart system of the fort (NJ16NW 1), now located within the town and outwith the Scheduled areas of the monument. The total excavation of the garden of 22 Church Street proved negative; all finds were modern. In contrast, partial examination of the gardens of The Brae, 35 Grant Street, provided evidence for the cut of one substantial ditch below modern soil build-up, associated with the remodelling of Burghead and subsequently the erection in 1912 of The Brae. Standing walls limited the exposure of this ditch. A thin organic horizon associated with a small quantity of tumbled stonework contained no particulate charcoal and was not polleniferous.

A narrow trench was also machine-cut along the length of the footpath E of the enclosure holding the Burghead Well: whilst showing undulations in the subsoil, there were no clear surviving signs of a ditch here. However, it was noted that slight traces of two banks and ditches can still be seen on the surface trending obliquely across St Aethan's graveyard.

Archive to be deposited in Moray SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsor: Moray Headland Trust.

I Ralston 2004.

NJ 108 690 (centre) A watching brief was undertaken between March and May 2005 in the N part of the village of Burghead during water mains renewal, in the vicinity of a number of archaeological sites. Work revealed one possible archaeological deposit, a possible extension to the eastern rampart of the fort (NJ16NW 1).

Full report lodged with Moray SMR and NMRS.

Sponsor: Halcrow Group Ltd for Scottish Water.

S Farrell 2005.