Deil's Wood

NS55SE 2 55762 53576

(NS 5576 5357) Mound (NR)

OS 6" map, (1970)

This feature was originally published as a tumulus, the Ordnance Survey Name Book (ONB, 1856) describes it as a 'small circular prominence, considered to be a tumulus by the most intelligent persons in the parish'.

It is noted as a cairn by Thomson (1903).

Name Book 1856; J H Thomson 1903.

The road deviates in order to pass this earthwork which may therefore have been larger at one time. In view of this and the fact that 'Deil's Wood' was formerly called 'Castlehill Plantation' (OS 6" map, Renfrewshire, 1st ed., 1856), this is possiby a motte.

Visited by OS (E J R) 8 April 1957.

A mound, 24m in diameter and 3.1m high, planted with trees and apparently composed entirely of earth: it has no visible ditch. On the summit are several excavated hollows; the farmer at Crosslees said that about fifty years ago the son of the then laird dug into the top of the mound 'looking for gold'.

Visited by OS (W W) 21 July 1955+ information from J Morrison, Crosslees to OS.

This mound is as described above. It appears to be a tumulus rather than a motte although the possibility of its being such cannot be ruled out. The deviation of the road is caused by the natural hillock on which the mound is situated, not by the mound itself.

Resurveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (W D J) 19 November 1964.

As part of a study of early castles in Renfrewshire a contour survey of this mound and its immediate surroundings was carried out, at the scale 1:200.

Sponsor: Renfrewshire Local History Forum.

D Alexander 1994.

In December 1996, GUARD was commissioned to assess a series of routes for a proposed southern orbital road to link the M77 with the A726 leading to East Kilbride. Four possible routes were subject to a desk-based followed by field assessment. The following site was among those noted on or near the routes NS 5576 5357 De'il's Wood Mound; earthen.

Sponsor: ASH Consulting.

S Halliday 1997

This site was visited in the course of fieldwork by Dr. T.C. Welsh.

[Further details in MS].

NMRS, MS/1508.

This cairn, which stands on the summit of a low, but prominent NW to SE aligned ridge 300m E of Bonnyton farmsteading, measures about 20m in diameter by up to 1.8m in height on the SE. The top of the cairn has been dug into, leaving two irregular depressions, the larger measuring about 5m across and 0.5m in depth.

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS), 4 June 2007.

Scheduled as 'Deils Wood, cairn 350m E of Bonnyton'.

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 11 August 2010.

Mound [NAT] (at NS 55762 53576)

OS (GIS) MasterMap, October 2010.