Duniehinnie, Mull Of Logan
Promontory Fort (Iron Age)
Site Name Duniehinnie, Mull Of Logan
Classification Promontory Fort (Iron Age)
Alternative Name(s) Duniehinnie, Mullhill
Canmore ID 60519
Site Number NX04SE 3
NGR NX 07550 42573
NGR Description Centre
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/60519
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Kirkmaiden
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Wigtown
- Former County Wigtownshire
NX04SE 3 0755 4257
(NX 0755 4257) Earthwork (NR)
OS 6" map (1957); 1:10000 map (1978)
A promontory fort situated on a peninsular rock rising 20-30' above high water, lying parallel to the cliff line on the shore, from which it is separated by a deep chasm, 5-6' wide, which has almost formed it into an island were it not for a narrow wall of rock bridging it at its S end. Along the edge of the cliff, facing the land above the chasm are the remains of a rampart, 83' long, faced externally with stone, a few of these being still visible left of the entrance. It is now of slight elevation and has a 60' long grassy area extending behind it.
RCAHMS 1912, visited 1911; TS, 12 July 1953
The remains of this fort are generally as described. There are no internal features.
Revised at 25".
Visited by OS (RD) 9 February 1972
This fort is situated on Duniehinnie, a rocky promontory 700m WNW of Mullhill farmhouse. The sides of the promontory drop steeply into the sea and, except for a narrow neck on the S side about 4m wide, the landward approach is blocked by a precipitous cleft. A substantial wall, now reduced to a mound of rubble up to 4.5m thick and 1.5m high externally (0.9m internally) runs along the lip of the cleft and dies out after about 30m against a rock outcrop on the S side of the promontory; at least three outer facing-stones are visible, and others are probably obscured by the deep tussocky turf that covers the rubble of the wall. There is no evidence of an entrance through the wall, and the only point of access to the interior is by way of a gentle rock slope, from which a narrow ledge 3.7m below the S end of the wall leads to the neck of the promontory. The interior measures 77m from ENE to WSW by 29m transversely, but only a strip about 20m wide at the ENE end was probably habitable, the rest being bare rock outcrops stepping gradually down to the high water mark on the WSW.
G Wilson 1885; RCAHMS 1912; RCAHMS 1985, visited (SH) July 1984.
Field Visit (12 July 1953)
This site was included within the RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey (1950-1962), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, are available to view online - see the searchable PDF in 'Digital Items'. These vary from short notes, to lengthy and full descriptions. Contemporary plane-table surveys and inked drawings, where available, can be viewed online in most cases - see 'Digital Images'. The original typecripts, notebooks and drawings can also be viewed in the RCAHMS search room.
Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 19 July 2013.
Note (20 December 2013 - 31 August 2016)
This fort occupies a rocky sea-girt promontory that juts out from the foot of the coastal escarpment and is all but separated from the shore by a deep precipitous cleft. The defences comprise a single wall set on the lip of this cleft facing the land on the ENE, but now reduced to a mound of rubble 4.5m thick by 0.9m high internally and 1.5m externally, along which occasional outer facing-stones are visible. It dies against a rock outcrop on the S side of the promontory above a narrow neck of rock that provides the only access to the promontory. A narrow ledge some 3.7m below the crest of the wall here leads up into the interior, but there is no other evidence for the arrangement of the entrance. Apart from a grass grown strip about 20m wide immediately behind the wall on the ENE, the interior is otherwise made up of bare rock, which descends WSW to the sea and measures 77m in length by 29m transversely (0.3ha).
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 31 August 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC0181
Note (23 November 2021)
The location, classification and period of this site have been reviewed and changed from PROMONTORY FORT (PERIOD UNASSIGNED).
