Stroanfreggan Craig
Fort (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Stroanfreggan Craig
Classification Fort (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 64376
Site Number NX69SW 5
NGR NX 63700 92064
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/64376
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Dalry (Stewartry)
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Stewartry
- Former County Kirkcudbrightshire
NX69SW 5 63700 92064.
(NX 6371 9207) Camp (NR).
OS 6" map (1957)
This fort occupies the most prominent point of Stroanfreggan Craig. The main enclosure, which occupies the actual summit, measures about 140 ft by 125 ft within a ruinous wall, spread to 25 ft. This is covered by other walls to the NE, NW and SW; the tangential wall going downhill from the outer rampart on the W is a comparatively modern dyke (RCAHMS MSS., visited 1951).
The general appearance of this fort is comparable with that at Trusty's Hill (NX55NE 2) (R W Feachem 1963). Truckell considers this to be a Dark Age work, with no evidence of Iron Age origins.
RCAHMS 1914, visited 1911; A E Truckell 1963
This fort probably of entirely Iron Age date is generally as described, with double stone walls around the N and W sides enclosing an outcropping and featureless interior of 50.0m E-W by 38.0m N-S. Both walls around the N and W sides and a perimeter wall along the cliff-faced SE side have been robbed to base level. The inner wall was probably up to 5.0m broad, and the outer, varying from 5.0 to 10.0m distant, averages 3.0m broad. The only facing material visible is an intermittent line of stones around the NE arc of the outer wall, though the vast quantities of outward tumble from the inner wall probably obscures further detail.
Entrance may have been gained by a steep approach up a natural hollow from the S, or from a possible side entrance along the cliff edge on the E side. The tumbled south wall of the fort appears to continue along the cliff edge away to the E of the main work; however this is possibly a later dyke.
Surveyed at 1:10 000.
Visited by OS (JRL) 22 October 1978.
Field Visit (14 August 1951)
This site was included within the RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey (1950-1962), an unpublished rescue project.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 - 23 May 2016)
This fort occupies a local summit at the lower SW end of Stroanfreggan Craig, which is a rocky ridge that falls away sharply along its SE flank. The defences comprise two stone ramparts set between 5m and 10m apart, both of which are heavily robbed. The inner, however, has probably been in the order of 5m in thickness and encloses a D-shaped area on the summit measuring about 50m from ENE to WSW parallel with the edge of the crag by 38m transversely. The ends of the outer apparently rest on the edge of the crag. The entrance has probably been on the S, where a steep gully between the outcrops provides access to the interior rocky interior. Elements of the defences have been incorporated into the lines of more recent stone dykes, one of which can be seen approaching the fort along the edge of the crag from the from the ENE and another dropping down the slope on the W.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 23 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC0263
