Fort George

Photographic survey by the Scottish National Buildings Record in 1955.

Oblique aerial photographs of Fort George, Inverness-shire, taken by John Dewar in 1969.

Fort George NH 762 567 NH75NE 3

This Hanoverian artillery-fort occupies a coastal promontory. It was built by William Skinner in 1747-69 and is still in military use.

RCAHMS 1979

Cruden 1963, 242-5; Macivor 1970

NH 759 567 An extended programme of excavation, watching

brief and survey was completed on the Point Battery {the western

extremity of the fort). In order to waterproof the three vaulted

structures buried within the thickness of the main rampart, the earthwork itself was removed over the buildings.

After trial excavations in November 1993 and a watching brief in

January 1994, the main programme of work carried on until May

1994 with intermittent archaeological input. This entailed the

recording of all elements of those gun platforms, reverting wall, flues, drains, as well as the earthworks themselves {parapet, firing step and main rampart), which had to be removed in advance of the

repair work.

Evidence was discovered of the Point 'Pepper Pot' and associated

passage which was damaged by a 19th-century gun setting along

with detailed information of the construction of other parts of the

18th-century layout. The primary gun platforms were of slab stone

construction over sloping mortar footings. The brick-faced parapet

was built directly on to the wide stone wall which forms the outer

face of the main rampart. The firing step and main fill of the rampart

behind these revetting elements, was of extremely solid construction,

comprising a series of rolled gravels and sand deposits to

a depth of over 6m. The tops of the vaults themselves were in turn

found to be sealed by a combined deposit of clay and pitch soaked

gravelly sand forming a waterproof layer of a high quality only

breached by later drainage features.

G Ewart 1994

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 759 567 A watching brief and excavations were carried out at the NE Battery during the summer of 1995, in the course of repair work to the Battery and casemates. The sequence of construction of the outer and inner rampart walls was derived, along with evidence for the 18th century waterproofing. Contemporary graffiti was recorded on the mortared faces of some of the structures, and the sequence of repairs and alterations was recorded.

G Ewart, D Stewart and A Dunn 1995

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

A watching brief in July 1996 during the installation of a new water main included recording the remains of the demolished wall to the E portal of the Place of Arms. No finds were made.

G Ewart, D Stewart, and A Dunn 1996

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 762 567 A watching brief was maintained by Kirkdale Archaeology during repair work on the SE casemates, in March 1996. The casemate roofs were exposed to allow for repair and rewaterproofing. These resembled closely the casemates previously excavated at the NE part of the fort (which were erected earlier in the original building programme), indicating that an identical building plan was being followed. However, the foundations for the firing step wall, founded above the casemate roofs on the gravel infill of the rampart, was of simpler design than its NE equivalent, indicating an evolution in building design during the programme of works.

The general sequence of construction of the rampart and associated structures was confirmed by 1996 observations. A full graphic and photographic record was made.

G Ewart, D Stewart, and A Dunn 1996

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

A watching brief was carried out over two days during minor excavation works within the fort. A N-S trench extending 67m from the NE casemate to the main E-W axis road, before turning W to run for a further 160m, was opened to a depth of 600mm, being 360mm in width. Later, a sequence of 7 pits were excavated to insert manholes along the length of this longer trench. In all trenches, the sequence established was of the modern surface overlying mixed sands and gravels, in turn overlying the clean yellow sand which underlies all of the Fort structures. The latter is known, from previous excavations, to cover earlier, substantial stone drains at a depth of c.1m below the parade ground surface, a depth not achieved in the recent excavations.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

G Ewart and D Stewart 1997

Kirkdale Archaeology

Kirkdale Archaeology were asked to maintain a watching brief at Fort George during work to dig a trench for an electricity cable outside the casemates in the NE corner of the fort. This work involved removal of the concrete pathway outside the casemates, and the excavation of the trench by machine, while the digging inside the casemates, and at the E end of the pathway (where it runs underneath an access ramp to the wallhead) was done by hand. The casemates are stone built rooms, buried under the rampart of the fort, to provide shelter during an artillery barrage. They were built between 1749 and 1762, with each one being designed to hold 40 men. They are built of roughly faced red and yellow sandstone, with finer work around the doors and windows.

Dateable finds were not recovered from any contexts, except the sand directly below the present concrete surface, which is presumably relatively recent. While many hand made bricks, or fragments thereof, were noted, these are of little use in dating any of the structures located, as the squad informed me that there still are numerous of these bricks lying around, and they get built into work that they do today. The presence of two soakaways situated relatively close to each other hints that they were probably constructed at different times, although their close similarity in construction indicates a relationship, quite probably that they are both of military design. The drain that ran out of one casemate may once have been a more common feature, as this casemate has a dirt floor, unlike the others which were dug into, which had concrete floors, which will have involved the removal of deposits within the casemates, before laying the floor. This may well have been an original feature, although due to the generally disturbed nature of the site this could not be accurately determined. Some confidence can be attached to the interpretation of the cut noted apparently running under the casemates, even though this feature was not bottomed. The fact that it ran tight against the side of the casemates makes it very unlikely that this feature could post date their construction, so any function other than being a construction cut seems improbable. This feature therefore can reasonably be dated to the construction of the casemates, between 1749 and 1762. This in turn makes it seem highly probable that the sand it was cut through is indeed the natural beach material, although this

deposit may have been partially quarried away. Indeed the black, organic look to the fill of the construction trench, if simply redeposited material, would indicate that there was originally a topsoil covering the sand here.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

D Murray 1998

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 7618 5681 A watching brief was carried out by Kirkdale Archaeology over two days during minor excavation works within the fort. No significant features or deposits were found.

Work on the blacksmith's shop necessitated a further watching brief. The W part of the shop is partly divided by a short N-S wall protruding from the N wall, which serves to create an alcove in the NW corner, and the wall contains a chimney flue on its E side; these features indicate the position of the furnace.

A likely sequence of events can be suggested: the building was erected c 1760 on levelled sand deposits; the floor was then flagged throughout; after the smithy fell out of use, the flags were removed, where they could be reused, and the building became a coal store, the floor of which was eventually concreted over.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

G Ewart and D Stewart 1997

Kirkdale Archaeology carried out a watching brief during the excavation of cable trenches along the N and S roadways within the fort. The S works entailed machine excavation of a trench 350m in length (Trench 1) extending from the Fort Substation within Casemate 12 to the Pump-House just E of the Point Battery Casemates. This route ran close to the inner revetting wall of the South Rampart, running along the frontages of the casemates and the Powder Magazine compound wall.

The excavation of Trench 1 commenced at its central point near the Officers latrines, work running in both directions from this point. The cable was intended to link with the Fort Substation located in one of the Casemates near the Guardhouse, and hence the trench terminated at the doorway of Casemate no. 12. From here, the trench ran for 95m along the outer face of the Powder Magazine wall before curving to the N around the NE corner of a ramp joining the Courtyard to the S Rampart Terreplein. This part of the trench revealed the foundations of the Powder Magazine enclosure wall, at a depth of 25-28cm below the present ground level.

No finds were recovered from the entire length of Trench 1.

Trench 2 comprised a second cable trench along the front of the NE Casemates, again 80cm in depth and 60cm wide, running for c80m. The material removed from this trench proved to be highly disturbed levelling material of the courtyard, and yielded no finds.

Kirkdale Archaeology 1997

A watching brief was conducted at Fort George near Inverness, Highland Region (NGR NH 762 567). The excavation of a cable trench was monitored at both ends of the track. The first section was in the Ordnance Yard where, below much modern disturbance, a late 18th- or 19th-century stone and brick culvert with construction debris and yard infill relating to the same period was recorded. The other section was in a yard at the rear of the North Staff Block. Nothing of significance was noted.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

P Sharman 1998

Kirkdale Archaeology

During December 1999 a programme of cable trenching was undertaken by local contractors under archaeological supervision. The project consisted of cutting a trench along the E access road from a point to the SE of the fort at the edge of the glacis to a point within the fort near the N entrance to the south sallyport.

The present metalled road leading up to the South Sallyport through the Glacis cutting is a relatively recent addition to the structure of the Fort and in itself has little historical value. Only at the points where it cuts original masonry will there be any archaeological interest. The depth of this excavation was clearly too shallow to expose buried structures.

Within the confines of the south sallyport the new trench followed the exact line of the old water main with the result that all the layering was backfill from that period. The variable depth of the water pipe at the S entrance to the tunnel might indicate some form of masonry threshold below.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland.

D Stewart 1999

Kirkdale

Assessment excavations were carried out in June 1999 at two locations within Fort George, to test for the survival of original surfaces.

The first area was on the ravelin, which forms the eastern point of the earthwork defences, in the area to the E of the guardhouse which now houses the visitor centre. The purpose here was to ascertain what evidence, if any, exists for the authenticity of the present tarmac paths and any other paths in the area.

The second area was in front of the horse's door into the stables at the rear of the provision store and bakery E of the chapel at the W end of the fort. The stable is shortly to provide accommodation for a horse employed in offering cart rides for visitors. Excavation was required to determine whether or not there was evidence for cobbling or paths associated with the original use of the stables.

It was evident that considerable earth-moving had taken place fairly recently, notably associated with the revetment wall of the principal ditch and the partial rebuilding of the splayed inner entry of the ravelin gate.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland.

J Triscott 1999

Kirkdale Archaeology

(NH 7625 5670) Various objects were recorded and retrieved in June 2001 from behind a collapsed length of tongue-and-groove panelling in a casemated barrack room in the curtain wall N of the parade ground in Fort George.

The rear of the panelling was partly covered in dirt and various finds that had fallen behind it. These were retrieved in 2m sections, measured from the S end of the panelling. Each of the sections was photographed to show the objects in situ, but their location was not recorded in any more detail. Their importance lies in their reflection of the daily life of the servicemen billeted in the room over many decades. The finds include sergeants' swagger sticks with copper-alloy ferrules bearing the regimental crest, blank bullets, a bayonet in a leather sheath, cutlery, cut-throat razors, decayed paper items including a timetable to Edinburgh, highly decorated pipe bowls, and many tins of talcum powder -presumably less reflective of cleanliness than of the need to keep dry feet, preventing foot-rot.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

P Sharman and G Ewart 2001

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 760 566 A watching brief was undertaken in August 2004during the excavation of two post-hole sockets at the main entrance to the fort. The post-holes were located at either side of the public entrance path to the fort and were intended to form the main gateposts for the re-established defence structures. The locations of the excavated post-holes are apparently the same as the ones cut in the 18th century when the wooden defence network was originally erected. The remains uncovered below the current path surface are of archaeological interest in relation to the defence system of the fort and were left in situ, protected by a hessian cover from the modern concrete used to support the new posts.

C Shaw and D Stewart 2004

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 762 567 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in February 2004 during renovation work and several minor assessments. These were in the Georgian and Victorian latrine blocks, the firing step palisade at the E point of the defences, and the rotted wooden remains found above the tide line in the mud at the shore end of the S pier.The firing step examination is notable for the surviving evidence of the palisade posts. It appears that the posts were put in place before the firing step was built, and that the revetting wall for the step was built around the posts, with the brick setting in the base of the ditch holding the posts in place.A minor excavation into the shoreline mud suggested that the accumulated deposits at the N end of the pier may hide an almost intact section of original wooden cladding.

C Shaw and D Stewart 2004

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 764 569 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in June 2004 of a rarely seen part of the fort defences located on the N beach between the high and low water marks. The structure is the channel and tunnel of the sluice believed to have been designed to allow the main moat to be flooded for defensive purposes. The structure appears to be mostly intact, undoubtedly the result of the quality of materials used in its build, and appears to be contemporary with the original construction of the fort. The difference in height between the floor of the sluice and the existing floor of the moat (1.4m) suggests that the moat would only have had a shallow layer of water, and that only achieved at very high tides. However, a 1796 plan clearly shows a ditch dug along the central line of the moat and linking up at the sluice at both ends.This may well indicate that a narrow, but deep, water-filled channel within the moat may be all that ever flooded. Without excavating the deposits in the moat it is not possible to ascertain the original level of the channel.

C Shaw and D Stewart 2004

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 762 567 A watching brief was undertaken in February 2005 at Fort George (NH75NE 3) while sub-contractors undertook the initial phase of construction work for the installation of BT cables. The work was restricted to three main areas within the fort complex: the Sally Port entrance, the area around the telephone boxes, and an area at the casemates near the Sally Port exit.

Also, a short period of archaeological monitoring was undertaken while sub-contractors undertook work in preparation for the installation of a new guardhouse at the Sally Port entrance to the fort. No features or finds of archaeological significance were discovered during these works.

C Shaw 2005

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

Minor excavations were carried out in advance of construction work at Fort George, Ardersier.

Immediately inside the Principal gate there is a large parade ground at the W limit of which stand the Artillery block and Staff blocks to the S and N respectively. The two “U” shaped barrack blocks are in the middle of the Fort and enclose the Barrack Square. The W part of the Fort houses stores and, at the far W end, the Chapel.

Trench 1 of the current excavation was to the rear (W) of the NW corner of the artillery block within a walled courtyard, measuring 13.50m N‐S by 8.40m wide, where a cabin is to be erected. The trench was excavated to a depth great enough to allow the excavation of an area under the N wall to feed service ducts through.

N of the courtyard the trench was to continue to the N (Trench 2) to a service box and continue a short way N (Trench 3) finally turning E (Trench 4) to an existing servicebox.

Prior to and during the return visit on the 10th of December Trenches 2 and 3 were excavated but only the tarmac had been removed from the Eastern 6.15m of the long E‐W stretch at the S end of the excavation (Trench 4).

There were finds recovered both by the contractors and the archaeologist, these were photographed and listed but only the pottery sherds were retained.

Information from OASIS Id: kirkdale1-60209 (A Radley) 2007

NH 7626 5684 and NH 7638 5688 (centred on) A record was made on 4 May 2010 of an area of coast to the N of Fort George. This area had been subject to severe wave erosion leading to the exposure of a series of contexts of suspected archaeological significance. Most of the contexts were found to be natural in origin, with deposits of windblown sand and beach pebbles predominating. However, amongst the natural deposits were contexts with definite anthropogenic origins. The area’s close proximity to two middens and Fort George suggests that the possibility of further remains of archaeological significance existing in this area is high.

P Fox and D Murray 2010

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

OASIS Id: kirkdale1-279368

NH 7620 5652 and NH 7655 5700 A record was made on 5–6 May 2010 of two sets of WW2 landing platforms. The platforms lay to the SW of Prince Henry’s Bastion (NH 7620 5652) and to the NE of Prince Edward’s Ravelin (NH 7655 5700). The NE Platforms were being eroded at a significant rate and a measured plan was made to record their current condition. A full photographic and written record was made at both locations.

P Fox and D Murray 2010

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology

NH 7647 5680 A small excavation was carried out on 20 March 2012 near the entrance to Fort George prior to the installation of a scale model to aid visitor orientation. Four sondages were dug to look for evidence of surfaces or hard standing relating to the ramp leading to the ramparts to the NE of the trench. This large grassed over slope seemed likely to have been used to carry artillery up to the ramparts summit, and it seemed possible that this would have required such a feature. No evidence was found for any such ground preparation.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Historic Scotland

David Murray, Kirkdale Archaeology 2012

OASIS Id: kirkdale1-310859

A project to characterise the quantity and quality of the Scottish resource of known surviving remains of the First World War. Carried out in partnership between Historic Scotland and RCAHMS.

A data upgrade project to record war memorials.

A watching brief was undertaken on the 17th February 2014 for a cable supply pillar to the southeast of the visitor centre at Fort George (NMRS NH75NE 3) as part of Scheduled Monument Consent. Work revealed disturbed deposits in the trench from previous cable-laying and installation. However, deposits surviving in the southeast facing section of the trench provided evidence for the build-up of material on the southwest side of the former Guard House.

The lower courses of the wall foundations were uncovered in the southeast-facing section of the trench revealing dressed sandstome blocks with well-pinned and mortared joints. One of the sandstone blocks had been removed in the past to provide access for services into the interior of the building.

Small finds recovered from the trench included animal bone fragments, 'industrial period' ceramics and glass, slate fragments, two pieces of lead, and ceramic drain fragments.

Funder: Turner Estate Solutions Ltd

Struart Farrell

Under the terms of its PIC contract with Historic Scotland, Kirkdale Archaeology was asked to carry out the archaeological recording at Fort George (Fig. 1) of a trench excavated in order to facilitate the repair of a water pipe located in the southern portion of the fosse, between the covered way surrounding the ravelin (to the east) and the south-east bastion of the fort (to the west). Although nothing of particular archaeological interest was revealed during the works, the fort and its surroundings must be considered to be of high archaeological potential, and any future ground-breaking work should be similarly accompanied by an archaeological watching brief.

G Ewart 2015

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

Kirkdale Archaeology