Culhawk Hill

500m N of Culhawk steading is a 20m diameter ring ditch house defined by an outer stone wall up to 3m thick and an inner ditch up to 4m wide and 0.5m deep. The entrance is on the SSE and is defined by a gap in the stone wall and a causeway across the ditch. The site lies below the summit on the S side of the hill.

J R Sherriff and O Macknight 1985.

A survey and excavation on the ring-ditch house at Culhawk Hill by AOC.

Partial excavation of the scheduled ring-ditch house (NMRS NO 35 NW 37) on Culhawk Hill, Kinnordy Estate, Kirriemuir, was commissioned by Historic Scotland as part of their ongoing programme of research into the impact of biota on archaeological sediments.

The preliminary site interpretation suggests the monument had two main phases. The earlier phase was marked by the construction of a 20m diameter ring-ditch house composed of: a penannular exterior bank; a discontinuous internal ring-ditch; a circle of 15 post-holes in the interior; an entrance-way through the bank and ditch in the S, associated with three post-holes; and two stone-built hearths. There was no evidence for the replacement of any timbers nor for the dismantlement of the structure. A penannular ring-groove was later cut into the inner edge of the exterior bank, and in places through the upper fills of the ring-ditch. The ring-groove, which respected the entrance in the S, is thought to have held a continuous wooden fence creating an enclosure.

After excavation the monument was restored to its condition prior to excavation. Fieldwork and reinstatement was conducted by AOC (Scotland) Ltd in July and August 1996.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland

AOC (Scotland) Ltd 1996

A detailed survey using a total station instrument was undertaken on the ring-ditch site at Culhawk Hill to produce a close contour interval record of the monument and a courser interval survey within a zone measuring some 40m wide around the site. This was to determine the extent of damage from rabbits and trees.