Archaeology Notes
Event ID 863173
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/863173
NY17NE 2 Centred 1860 7870
(Centred NY 186 787) Hill Fort (NR) Cairn (NR) Earthwork (twice) (NR) Camp (twice) (R) Fortlet (R)
OS 6" map (1957)
NY17NE 2.01 1869 7883 Cairn
NY17NE 2.02 186 787 Fort
NY17NE 2.03 1891 7867 Roman Fortlet; Settlement; Cemetery (possible); Enclosures; Trackway
NY17NE 2.04 185 790 and 188 785 Roman Temporary Camps
NY17NE 2.05 1902 7897 Settlement
NY17NE 2.06 1843 7835 Earthwork
NY17NE 2.07 1851 7860 Earthwork; Redoubt (possible)
NY17NE 2.08 186 787 Stone Axe
NY17NE 2.09 186 787 Flanged, Bronze Axe
NY17NE 2.10 1842 7885 Platform
NY17NE 2.11 1847 7899 Enclosure
NY17NE 2.12 1877 7848 Settlement: Scooped
NY17NE 2.13 1876 7910 Settlement; Field Boundaries
NY17NE 2.14 1843 7876 to 1849 7883 Quarry-pits
For battle site of 'Brunanburgh' (which has been identified with Burnswark), see NY17NE 25. For quarry and track on Burnswark Hill (at NY17NE 45), see NY 1895 7875. For rig on slopes of Burnswark Hill, see NY17NE 44 (centred NY 1834 7831), NY17NE 46 (centred NY 1847 7847) and NY17NE 47 (centred NY 1866 7847).
This fort, suggested as the oppidum for the Novantae, is situated on the summit of Burnswark Hill, which also has a small Roman siege camp on its NW and SE flanks, and a 2nd century Roman fortlet in the corner of the SE camp; and a cairn on its highest point. The fortlet predates the siege camps, the former dateable to c.140 AD, so it may be assumed that the latter were used in a punitive expedition in 155 AD after Birrens (NY27NW 4) was destroyed. Occupation of the fort ceased after the siege.
Excavations were carried out here in 1898, fully described by D Christison, J Barbour and J Anderson (1899) and also in 1966-8. The fort has developed from an oval enclosure, c 900' by 650', to an irregularly shaped defended area 1650' long, and 17 acres in extent.
The cairn is situated on the summit of the middle part of the plateau and is c.10' high; when excavated in 1898, showed its cist had been destroyed, only one stone remaining in position, and fragments of charred bone were also found.
The enclosures at NY 1843 7835 and NY 1902 7897 are probably Md homesteads, but though B H St J O'Neil suggests that the work at NY 1850 7860 is of the Civil War, half moon battery type, excavation in 1966 proved inconclusive, finding two phases in its construction, namely a small outer ditch with a turf revetted brash rampart, which, after collapsing, was revetted with heavy stonework. 1st-2nd century RB material was found in the brash mound, presumably scraped up from an earlier occupation. Numerous pits of pre-Roman date and post-holes in the interior require further investigation.
The SE Roman camp measures c. 900' by 670', with three entrances on the N, each guarded by a roughly circular mound c. 60' in diameter at base. Known locally as "The Three Brethren", it is suggested by R G Collingwood (1927) that they were artillery platforms for attacking the fort, though he is unable to cite any parallels. The other sides of the camp have central gateways, guarded by normal traverses. The suggested building remains shown on plan of this camp were shown to be only a stretch of paving, possibly a road, in 1968. The water supply of this camp came from a fine spring, called "Agricola's Well".
The fortlet, located on the N corner of the SE camp, measures 100' N-S by 70', being defended by a ditch and double rampart.
The NW Roman camp measures c. 1,000' by 400', and has six gateways, one in the E and W, and two in the N and S; it is incomplete, but it has the same character as the SE camp.
Finds ranging from flint flakes and winged and flanged axes to Roman glass and paste trinkets, iron spearhead, coins (1 Domitian, 1 Nero, 1 Vespasian, and 2 Trajan) potsherds, etc., also quantities of lead glandes of the kind not used after the end of the 1st century AD. They are in the NMAS, Dumfries Museum, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, and elsewhere.
Information from I A Richmond and A L F Rivet 25 July 1953.
Visible on APs 540/1540 F21, 0063-5.
R W Feachem 1963; G Jobey 1966; 1967; 1968; RCAHMS 1920, visited 1915;
J G Callander 1925; W F Cormack 1959; 1961; G Macdonald 1918.
The hill named after the fort is a conspicuous table which dominates most of Annandale and is widely visible. The fort shows a development from an oval enclosure measuring about 900 ft (274m) by 650 ft (198m) to an irregularly-shaped defended area 1650 ft (503m) and 17 acres in extent.
Great interest attaches to this place because of the presence of a small Roman siege camp on both the NW and SE flanks of the hill, and of a fortlet dateable to the 2nd century AD, in the corner of the SE camp. The fortlet predates the siege camps and, as the former can be assigned to the time of the second Roman incursion into the north in about AD 140, it is assumed that the siege camps were used in a punitive expedition after the uprisings of AD 155, when the nearby fort at Birrens was destroyed.
The fort must have been demolished in the 1st century AD, but the presence of the fortlet might suggest that it was still occupied in the first half of the 2nd century. There can be no doubt that occupation ceased after the siege.
It has been suggested that this fort, in which excavations (in 1966, by Mr G Jobey) disclosed an original palisade dated to the 7th or 6th century BC, might have been the principal centre or oppidum of the Novantae.
R W Feachem 1963.
Surveyed at 1:2500. Numerous finds are in Dumfries Museum.
Visited by OS (EGC) 13 June 1966
Unlike the picture presented within many other hill-forts of the Border country, hut platforms for timber-built dwellings are not readily visible from ground or air survey at Burnswark. However, recent excavation has shown the presence of superimposed round timber-built round houses in the two internal areas so far examined. There would seem to be no reason why large areas of the hill-top should not be covered with similar structures and by comparison with the visible pattern at Eildon Hill North or Yeavering Bell in Northumberland, the possibility of over 100 hut sites would not be a fanciful estimate. Beneath the rampart of Burnswark fort, recent excavation has revealed twin rows of closely-set post-holes, almost 3m apart, which do not appear to be supports for an earlier rampart but rather for a form of timber stockade which runs for some considerable distance, and may even encircle the whole area enclosed by the later rampart.
A radiocarbon date of 500 +/- 100 B C for material appropriate to this early phase is in keeping with other 6th - 7th century dates for some palisaded sites in North Britain. Carbonised wood from one of the hill-fort gateways has yielded another radiocarbon date which is not significantly different at 525 +/- 90 B C. It may well be necessary to envisage an earlier date for the initial rampart defences than would have been thought probable some years ago, particularly if these can be shown to follow immediately upon the timber-built phase.
The recorded find of a fragment of opaque white glass pendant (H E Kilbride-Jones 1938) from the otherwise unclassifiable scooped enclosure at Burnswark West could be significant as to the possibility of an early date for this site.
G Jobey 1971
The gate in the central re-entrant of the south defences of the hill-fort were re-excavated. As at the SW gate,the paved area came late in the sequence, overlying the original rock-cut entrance and timber gate structure. It shows no wear, nor any sign of superstructure.
D R Wilson 1971
The following items from 'Camps and Earthworks on Birrenswark Hill, Annandale' were presented to the (former) National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland by the Excavation Committee [of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland] in 1899 and are held in the Royal Museum of Scotland under the accession numbers cited:
GP 56-7 curved pointed flake and chip of flint
GP 58-69 ball and portions of same of red sandstone
GP 78 half of a snadstone disc
GP 79 large leaden pellets of various forms
GP 80 smaller leaden pellets
GP 81-2 rings of lead
GP 83-7 axe-heads, horse-shoe, spearhead and blade of iron
GP 88 bottom of Roman bronze patera
GP 89-90 mounting and ring of bronze
GP 91-7 glass studs, beads and fragments of armlets, of various kinds of vitreous paste and small intaglio
GP 100 squared sandstone fragment, apparently used as a whetstone.
Information from National Museums of Scotland typescript continuation catalogue per Mr T Cowie (NMS), 6 February 1998.
