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Castlehill Point, West Barcloy

Fort (Period Unassigned)

Site Name Castlehill Point, West Barcloy

Classification Fort (Period Unassigned)

Alternative Name(s) Castle Point

Canmore ID 64891

Site Number NX85SE 1

NGR NX 8541 5242

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/64891

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Dumfries And Galloway
  • Parish Colvend And Southwick
  • Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
  • Former District Stewartry
  • Former County Kirkcudbrightshire

Archaeology Notes

NX85SE 1 8541 5242.

(NX 8541 5242) Ancient Earthwork (NAT).

OS 6" map (1957)

This fort, which occupies a bold promontory on the E side of the mouth of the Urr Water, consists of an oval enclosure measuring axially 140' by 95' within a substantial ruin of a stone wall c.10' thick, faced with large squared blocks laid in courses. This is defended on the landward side by a broad rock-cut ditch, with a rampart on the outer lip, through which passes an approach 9-10' wide, c.80' from the W end, leading to an entrance in the wall 76' from the W cliff. The W side of the entrance, faced with a slab, and having a single stone to form the outer angle, is preserved for some 5' inwards. Early Md pottery from here is in Dumfries Museum.

R W Feachem 1963; RCAHMS 1914, visited 1911; F R Coles 1893

A castle, which was placed second in Timothy Pont's List of Castles and Gentlemen's Houses of Chief Note in Galloway, stood on Castlehill of Barcloy.

M Harper 1896; Name Book 1850

A fort generally as described by Feachem. The exposed inner rampart is of large unmortared blocks with pinnings (typical IA construction). On the top of the promontory is a very slight rectangular platform, possibly the site of the castle.

Published survey (25") revised.

Visited by OS (RD) 15 December 1969

Activities

Field Visit (29 May 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This site was included within the RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey (1950-1962), an unpublished rescue project.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.

Measured Survey (2003)

Surveyed and drawn by AOC Archaeology in 2003.

Note (20 December 2013 - 23 May 2016)

This promontory work is situated on the E of the mouth of the Rough Firth, where the Urr Water flows into the sea. The ground rises into the promontory from the NW and the defences comprise two elements: an inner wall drawn across the top of the promontory, with its ends resting on the cliff-edge to either side; and an outer ditch with an external rampart set towards the foot of the slope. The inner wall probably measures at least 3m in thickness and a long run of the outer face, composed of coursed blocks with pinnings, can be seen standing about 1m in height. Lying some 17m down the rubble strewn slope, the rock-cut ditch measures about 6m in breadth by 1.8m in depth and has a thick external rampart of upcast. A central gap in the rampart on the NW leads up the slope via a causeway across the ditch to an entrance through the inner wall; measuring 2m wide, the alignment of the faces preserved to either side of the entrance passage show that it faces NNW rather than directly NW onto the causeway across the ditch. Set so far apart, it is quite likely that the two lines represent separate schemes for defence, the outer enclosing an area measuring a maximum of 58m from NE to SW by 55m transversely (0.19ha), and the inner an area on the summit 42m by 25m (0.1ha). Sherds from the fort held in the Dumfries Museum have been claimed to be of early medieval date (Feachem 1963, 129).

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 23 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC0310

References

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