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Chester Rig, Cardon
Fort (Prehistoric), Roundhouse(S) (Prehistoric), Settlement (Prehistoric)
Site Name Chester Rig, Cardon
Classification Fort (Prehistoric), Roundhouse(S) (Prehistoric), Settlement (Prehistoric)
Alternative Name(s) 'The Rings'
Canmore ID 48717
Site Number NT03SE 2
NGR NT 0996 3205
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/48717
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Broughton, Glenholm And Kilbucho
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Tweeddale
- Former County Peebles-shire
NT03SE 2 0996 3205
(NT 0996 3205) The Rings (NAT)
Fort (NR)
OS 6" map, (1967).
On Chester Rig are the remains of a nearly circular, small fort with a mean internal diameter of 185' in which a settlement was later constructed. The fort, which is built on a slight knoll, was defended by two walls with a medial ditch. An artificial depression outside the entrance on the NW does not appear to have belonged to the defensive system, and its date and purpose are ob- scure. The inner wall was drawn round the margin of the summit-area, and the sides of the knoll appear to have been trimmed to form a continuous scarp, up to 5' in height, which extends from the base of the wall to the bottom of the ditch. Almost all traces of the inner wall have been removed, possibly to provide material for the settlement wall. The maximum height of the outer wall is 4'. For most of its length it borders the outer lip of the ditch, but on the SE the two are separated by a narrow berm. The ditch, which is now almost completely silted up, is interrupted on the NW by the entrance, 8' in width, and on the E by unquarried rock-outcrops.
The settlement measures about 155' in diameter within a wall which lies at a distance varying from 7' to 21' inside the earlier one. The wall is now reduced to a band of rubble from which three surviving stones of the outer face protrude. Immediately within the entrance, which is aligned with that of the fort, a quarried hollow 3' deep runs into the interior for 20 yds before branching to SE and E. The absence of a spoil heap of surface soil, such as accompanies a modern quarry, and the presence of the stone foundations of three circular houses on the brink of the depression, imply that this unusual feature is most probably an original one. The houses measure 30' in diameter within walls about 4' thick. Faint traces of what may have been five more houses of the same kind are indicated on the plan by broken lines.
D Christison 1887; RCAHMS 1967, visited 1957.
Generally as described by RCAHMS. Six definite houses exist in the interior of the settlement.
Revised at 1/2500.
Visited by OS(WJ) 3 March 1964 and (DWR) 11 September 1972
Visible on vertical air photograph (OS 71/396/141, flown 1971).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), April 1991.
Note (5 October 2015 - 20 October 2016)
This fort is situated on a hillock that forms a local summit rising out of the gentler middle slopes on the crest of Chester Rig. Roughly circular on plan, it measures about 55m in diameter (0.24ha) within twin ramparts and a medial ditch, but most of the interior is occupied concentrically by a later settlement measuring 47m in diameter (0.17ha) within a wall reduced to a band of rubble. The inner rampart of the fort has been reduced to an external scarp dropping down into the medial ditch, and while the outer rampart generally extends along the lip of the counterscarp, on the SE it is separated from the ditch by a narrow berm, though this is possibly evidence of two periods of construction in the rampart (see profile drawn by David Christison 1887, 61, fig 46). The entrance is on the NW, where a deeply worn hollow mounts the flank of the knoll and divides into two to serve the round-houses set round the edges of the area enclosed by the later settlement. At least three of these round-houses comprise low stony ring-banks, but there are possibly as many as eight in total.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 20 October 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC3557
Field Visit (May 2020)
In May 2020 a pre-afforestation walkover survey was conducted over a parcel of land at Cardon, near Broughton. Seven previously recorded sites comprising a fort, enclosure, homestead, 3 burnt mounds and a track were re-recorded and 28 other new or previously unrecorded sites, mainly comprising stone quarries but including a drove road and a possible twining pen, were also recorded.
NT 10590 32028 Possible burnt mound (Canmore ID: 194012). Nothing visible at previously recorded location (NT 10547 32057) however a low irregular mound is visible at the given location but is just composed of peat/turf with no visible stone so this is very probably natural. It appears to have a spring on the SW side. There is a small water-filled scoop 0.25–0.30m deep with gravel at the base. The mound is 8 x 8m. It is steep and 1–1.5m high on the N side. The S side is barely visible.
NT 10725 32120 Curvilinear track/holloway. Probably part of an old drove road, up to 3m wide, multi-stranded in places, cuts under fence, oriented NNE–SSW (NT 10726 32054) up to 0.5m deep. NT 10654 31530 runs under stone wall so earlier than this. NT 10605 31457.
NT 10487 31407 Tester quarry. Oval hollow, 3 x 4m, up to 1m deep set into the side of the south-facing slope – possible structure or small sink hole or tester quarry? No evidence of bank etc.
NT 10459 31506 Quarries, pile of stones. Series of probable quarry pits and small piles of stones, grass and moss covered. These could be the possible stone quarries for the stone wall marking the southern boundary. Two quarry scoops measuring 6 x 6 x 2m deep, 6 x 2 x 1m deep. At NT 310447 631512 there is a small pile of stone and a third quarry scoop measuring 7 x 6 x 2m deep is located at NT 10440 31513.
NT 10507 31535 Quarry. Circular hollow measuring approximately 6 x 6m with a depth of 1m. Stone present and the back with rubble skirt at front.
NT 10496 31544 Tester quarry 2 x 1 x 0.3m deep.
NT 10534 31560 Quarry scoop. Two quarry scoops, the first measures 6 x 5 x 1.5m and is situated 7m apart from the second scoop which measures 5 x 4m.
NT 10475 31569 Quarry scoop. One large quarry scoop 5 x 4m x 1m with a much smaller depression around the edge.
NT 10433 31536 Quarry scoop. Quarry scoop 7 x 13m x 1m deep, plus downslope rubble skirt.
NT 10528 31736 Drove road. Probable portion of old drove road holloway with bank either side, splits at main drove road (site 2), oriented NNW–SSE.
NT 10138 31947 Quarry scoop measuring 3 x 6 x 2m deep.
NT 10150 31942 Quarry scoop 8 x 8 x 2m deep.
NT 10152 31953 Quarry scoop 8 x 10 x 1m deep.
NT 10135 31972 Quarry scoop 8 x 5m.
NT 10122 31946 Quarry scoop with large central stone measuring 5 x 5 x 1m.
NT 10111 31984 Quarry scoop 4 x 4x 1m.
NT 09968 32049 Hillfort (Canmore ID: 48717 a small hillfort with six internal houses within it, surveyed in 1967). Hillfort with an outer bank of maximum height of 2m with internal relatively shallow ditch with an inner wall up to 3.5m high. N entrance – inner hard earth with some stone visible in the sheep erosion hollows. Outline of roundhouses within the fort just visible.11m diameter. Where these are visible there is lots of small hearting-like stone and occasional larger stone.
NT 09946 32098 Quarry scoop 6m x 4m. May possible have been the source of rock for the hillfort.
NT 09955 32115 Possible quarry scoop 10m x 7m x 2m.
NT 09961 32120 Quarry scoop 5m x 5m x 1.5m deep.
NT 09595 32224 Reported in Canmore (ID: 48732) as an old sheepfold with circular foundations within prominent ring enclosure, visited in 1964. Surveyed in May 2020, it measures 20m long, 2m wide, 0.3– 0.4m in height, an earthen bank circular enclosure with possible faint trace of inner circle 8m diameter. Shown as ‘old sheepfold’ on 1st Edition OS map (Sheet XV 1859).
NT 10333 32471 Stone quarry oval 18m x 28m, 2m deep.
NT 11045 31880 Quarry scoop, 5m x 4m x 1m deep oval. May have been the source for the wall stone.
NT 11134 32285 Quarries. Series of interconnected quarries for stone 25m x 27m. Possible source of stone for wall?
NT 11163 32457 Twinning pen. Possible remains of a twinning pen, 2m x 3m, 3 stones in a row in a stony hollow.
NT 10774 32305 Possible burnt mounds. Location of burnt mound given as 1078 3234. At this location there was nothing found, just natural surface. There is an elongated mound at the given grid reference but again this appears natural.
NT 10655 32432 Recorded as the location of a burnt mound (Canmore ID: 193985), however there is no charcoal or fire-cracked stone at all so unlikely to be a burnt mound. Elongated mound spur measuring 35m of ground on one side of the burn. Main mound is 9m x 9m with a slightly sunken centre. This appears to be natural.
NT 10585 32877 Quarry scoop 18 x 18m cut into the hillside. Another smaller scoop measuring 8m x 8m is located above it.
NT 10631 32871 Oval quarry scoop 17 x 5m.
NT 10667 32788 Homestead (Canmore ID: 49932) The Canmore entry describes a palisaded site with internal timber buildings, excavated in 1959, then ploughed over in 1979, after which the palisade trench could still be traced. This current survey found there was nothing to be seen other than an undulating hill top and occasional stone.
NT 10717 32759 Sheepfold. As on map, low earthen banks with internal division, 50 x 38m.
NT 10690 32995 Quarry scoop 3 x 4m.
NT 10735 32994 Old track (Canmore ID: 341896) Old track route into field with homestead and enclosure, curves around to run parallel with stone wall – not much of a holloway.
NT 10930 32900 Burnt mound (Canmore ID: 193984) Nothing visible at this location, or in the vicinity – actual grid reference probably lies beyond limits of the proposed scheme.
Funder: RDS Forestry Ltd
Clare Ellis – Argyll Archaeology
(Source: DES Vol 21)
Sbc Note
Visibility: This is an upstanding earthwork or monument.
Information from Scottish Borders Council
