Field Visit

Date 3 October 1955

Event ID 925921

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/925921

RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey

Fort, Sheep Hill

On the craggy summit of Sheep Hill, a quarter of a mile NW of Auchentorlie House and at a height of 500ft OD, there is a small fort whose plan (see RCAHMS drawing) has evidently been largely governed by the terrain. The position is a strong one, being protected by precipitous cliffs on the W and by steep rocky slopes from 30ft to 45ft in height on the other three sides, while a small triangular shelf at the foot of the S slope has also been included in the fortifications. The main defence consists of a stone wall which has been drawn round the margin of the summit area to form an irregularly-shaped enclosure measuring about 300ft from E to W by 150ft transversely. On the E side all trace of this wall has disappeared doubtless as a result of landslips, but on the other three sides it is still represented in part by the core, now appearing as a grassy bank not more than 2ft 6ins in height, and in part by occasional outer facing stones. The corresponding inner face of the wall is only visible at one point, on the E, and here the thickness of the wall is 14ft. At four widely spaced points on the line of this wall vitrified material is exposed, thus confirming the statement made* on the OS map; in three of the places the vitrification is merely a small lump, about the size of a fist, protruding through the turf, but on the E side of the S entrance, discussed below, the molten core can be seen to have run outwards between the stones forming the outer face of the wall. Five further patches of vitrification are to be found within the enclosure, as shown on the plan, and appear to represent the remains of a dividing wall which cut off the higher, NE portion, of the interior from the rest. Three of these patches, one of which is 15ft in length by 18 in in thickness, are presumably in situ since they occupy the natural position for-such a dividing wall on the crest of an inclined rock face; but the two more easterly patches occur half-way down the same rock face and have presumably fallen from their original positions. Although the surviving remains are insufficient to allow the size of this inner enclosure, or citadel, to be calculated with any precision, the lie of the ground suggests that it is likely to have been roughly oval on plan and to have measured about 130ft from E to W by 90ft from N to S. No signs of buildings can be seen either within the citadel area or on the grassy slopes that lie to the SE and SW of the citadel and from 15ft to 20ft below it. At the present time there are two well-defined entrances to the fort, on the N and S sides respectively, but the northernmost of these is almost certainly modern. The S entrance, on the other hand, is patently original since it affords the only access to the triangular outwork referred to above. This outwork is bounded by a single stone wall, 12ft in thickness, which is now in the last stages of decay. The entrance is situated on the E side but its width is uncertain as only the foundations of the S jamb are visible. A good deal of the stony core of the wall is exposed on either side of the entrance but despite careful search no trace of vitrified material could be found anywhere along the circuit of the outwork, nor is there any trace of structures in the interior.

*This seems to be the only previous reference to the fort being vitrified. It is not included in Mrs. Cottons list (Arch. Journal)

Visited by RCAHMS (KAS), 3 October 1955