Craig Mony

Fort, Craig Mony. The site of this construction is the NE lip of the high ridge that separates Glen Urquhart from Glen Coiltie. The ridge ends at about the 450ft contour in a promontory, sheer on the E and NE and sloping very steeply to the N, that rises 6ft or more above the saddle that connects it with the main mass of Cnoc a’ Bhuachaille. Firs have been planted on the summit and paths constructed to make it a lookout point; presumably by the proprietors of Balmacaan House. These operations have mutilated the monument; in particular it looks as if facing blocks from the rampart have been used as kerbs for the garden paths and one of these now blocks a cleft on the N that may have afforded access to the fort. All that remains of the defences is the debris of a stone rampart about 98ft long across the neck of the promontory, running most of the way along the crest of an outcrop ridge. It looks as if the rampart may have turned E at both ends and continued along the edge of the declivity on the N and of the precipice on the S, but the modern paths traverse the most probable course for such work. They make it impossible to say whether there was an entrance from the saddle. The rampart is now represented by a rickle of stones, but a few footings are visible on the SW.

Visited by RCAHMS (VG Childe), 17 September 1943.

OS 6”map sheet xxix.

Fort, Craig Mony (NH 500 295). This fort is situated on the tip of the ridge that separates Glen Urquhart from Glen Coiltie. The ridge ends at a height of about 450 ft OD in a triangular promontory, the E and NE flanks of which are sheer cliffs. It is distant half a mile N of Balmacaan House. The fort has been mutilated by the construction of paths, and all that can be distinguished is the ruin of a stone wall some 100ft in length that runs across the neck of the W of the promontory along the crest of an outcrop ridge at a distance of 150ft from the E extremity. The wall probably turned E at both ends to continue along the edges of the promontory, but only very slight traces of this remain. The entrance is obscured and the interior featureless.

Information from RCAHMS c.1957 (not visited)

A project of archaeological survey and evaluation was undertaken for Team Aquarius, on behalf of NOSWA by Headland Archaeology in advance of a water mains pipeline along Glen Urquhart, Highland. The proposed route runs from Tomich (NH 314 277) north to Cannich (NH 334 318) and then east towards Drumnadrochit where it splits to the north (NH 502 332) and south (NH 498 283). The proposed route is largely along the roadside but four stretches are through farmland or forestry. The survey comprised an initial desk based assessment to examine all available documentary and map sources prior to commencement of fieldwork, a walkover survey of the entire route and a watching brief on six trial pits highlighted as being in archaeologically sensitive areas by Highland Council’s Planning and Development Department Archaeological Officer. A full specification for the archaeological work was prepared by Highland Council.

Headland Archaeology 2001

The defences of this fort bar access to the NE tip of a rocky spur that is a local viewpoint overlooking Lewiston. Essentially a small promontory fort, its defences comprise a wall reduced to a bank of rubble 5m in thickness by 1.4m in height across the spine of the promontory on the WSW, and though this may have turned along the edge of the cliffs at either end, the precipitous flanks appear largely undefended. Two natural hollows also cut across the ridge outside the wall, the inner of which may have been adapted as a ditch. It is unclear whether the interior was confined to the highest part of the spur, an area measuring no more than 26m by 23m, or whether it extended to the full length of the promontory, which is a much larger area measuring 45m from ENE to WSW by 30m transversely (0.11ha). The entrance may have lain on the N margin of the promontory, which is also the route taken by the modern path.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 31 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2872

HES surveyed the fort at Craig Mony on 22 December 2022 with plane-table and self-reducing alidade at a scale of 1:500.

NH42NE 2 4998 2945

The fort at Craig Mony occupies an isolated spur (137m OD) with extensive views over Urquhart Bay and the confluence of the Rivers Enrick and Coiltie. It appears from measured survey that the fort occupied only the highest point of the spur, an area that measures about 30m from NE to SW by 20m overall. The wall, which can be traced for 16m along a crest on the SW of the knoll, returning for a distance of 11m along the S, measures about 4m in thickness and up to 0.5m in height and there are edge-set stones on both the inner and outer face. The entrance was not located and no features were recorded in the interior.

Visited by HES Archaeological Survey (G Geddes and D Bratt), 22 December 2022