Torr Hill

This site was included within the RCAHMS Emergency Survey (1942-3), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, vary from short notes to lengthy and full descriptions and are available to view online with contemporary sketches and photographs. The original typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks and photographs can also be consulted in the RCAHMS Search Room.

Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 10 December 2014.

Fort, Tor Hill

This fort is situated on a low knoll which stands above the left bank of the Moness Burn in the southern outskirts of Aberfeldy at a distance of a quarter of a mile from the right bank of the River Tay. It stands at a height of 400 feet O. D. and 100 feet above the river. The structure, which is very denuded, was covered at the date of visit with conifers. Its position so near the town has doubtless led to the robbing of any stones that may originally have appeared in the ramparts while the appearance of the interior suggests that later buildings have at one time been placed within it. The fort is irregular shape on plan, with a maximum length of 150 feet from N to S by 135 feet transversely, within a rampart most of which is represented by a mere scarp. In the S arc, however, a low mound, spread to a width of 18 feet, still survives. The second rampart springs from the N arc of the first and runs thence W, S and E to die out on the E side of the knoll. There is no obvious point at which this rampart may have rejoined the NE arc of the inner one, though it may well have done so. The E arc of the outer rampart is also missing, but the rest of it remains in the form of a scarp round the other three sides of the fort. The eccentricity of the inner and median ramparts may be due to the configuration of the knoll, extra space being achieved on the summit by running the two together round the NE. corner. But the lack remains in the E must render full interpretation of the structure impossible. Otherwise the fort presents a generally similar appearance to that on Craig a' Ghuibhais.

NN 854487

Visited by RCAHMS 1957

This small fortification, which is situated a low knoll on the steep W bank of the Moness Burn, has been incorporated into the S outskirts of Aberfeldy and is now largely occupied by a house and its garden. Sub-rectangular on plan, its interior measures about 45m from N to S by 40m transversely (0.18ha) and the defences have comprised up to three ramparts, all reduced to scarps, which extend round the S, W and NW flanks. When planned by RCAHMS in 1957, the inner rampart still formed a low mound on the S, and the middle rampart appeared to spring from the line of the inner on the N. In 1962, prior to the construction of the house, Margaret Stewart excavated a trench across the inner rampart on the S, revealing an inner face with a hard-packed core of small stones, and along its outer edge a palisade which had been burnt. She also cut a trench across the outermost rampart on the N, but could find no trace of any structure. Nothing was found in two trenches dug within the interior, and the only find was a scatter of iron slag lying amongst the stones (Stewart 1962). The position of the entrance was not recorded on the RCAHMS plan, but the OS suggested that it lay above the burn on the E.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 12 January 2017. Atlas of Hillforts SC2639

NN 85387 48758 Four trenches were opened by a mechanical excavator with a toothless ditching bucket in the footprint of the proposed new house and its soakaway to provide a 10% evaluation.

A deep linear feature of recent or early modern date was located cutting through a subsoil deposit above natural sand and gravel in Trenches 1, 3 and 4. That feature contained a disarticulated animal burial in its fill (sheep or roe deer), bricks and plastic. Another cut feature in Trench 1 produced a single sherd of 19th century Tin Glazed Earthenware. Natural sands and gravel were close to the modern ground surface in Trench 2 (0.10m), at 0.33m in Trench 3 and 0.40m in Trench 4. Nothing of archaeological interest was located.

The proposed development site lies within an area that is considered to be archaeologically sensitive as it is closely located to a hillfort of unknown date known as Torr Hill (MPK966). In addition, the development site sits on the possible route of a path to an entrance to the fort and according to historic mapping this area has been greenfield until current times. Any groundworks associated with the re-development of the site therefore have the potential to impact on archaeological remains associated with the hillfort.

Nothing associated with Torr Hill hillfort was located and natural sands and gravels were encountered at shallower depths than had previously been encountered in the site evaluation at the neighbouring site to the West (Hall 2021).

Information from OASIS Id: derekhal1-520127 (D. Hall) 2023