Beacon Hill
Fort (Period Unassigned), Plantation Bank (Period Unassigned)(Possible), Rig And Furrow (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Site Name Beacon Hill
Classification Fort (Period Unassigned), Plantation Bank (Period Unassigned)(Possible), Rig And Furrow (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Colstrand Fort
Canmore ID 65643
Site Number NX97NW 15
NGR NX 9139 7643
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/65643
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Terregles (Kirkcudbrightshire)
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Nithsdale
- Former County Kirkcudbrightshire
NX97NW 15 9139 7643
(NX 9139 7643) Fort (NR)
OS 6" map (1946).
The fort on Beacon Hill is apparently contained by a single ditch 8 to 10 feet deep, surmounted in places by a stony rampart, and with a slighter mound above the counterscarp. The trench seems to have terminated at the steep slopes to the east and south. A rock outcrop forms a natural citadel towards the north end of the interior.
RCAHMS 1914.
As described above, the remains of the fort consist of a single mutilated ditch enclosing a sub circular area. The ditch is evident on all but the east side where the natural slopes appear to have formed the only defence. The scarp of the ditch has a max. height of c.2.5m. while the counterscarp has a max height of c.0.6m, but fades out in places giving a terraced effect: There appear to be two entrances, one at the NE and the other at the SW. Only vague traces of a rampart could be seen on either scarp of the ditch.
Revised at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (WDJ), 2 July 1964.
A field bank, possibly a plantation bank, surrounding the fort and an area of rig to the N and W of the fort have been recorded on oblique aerial photography (RCAHMSAP 2000). The field bank is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Kirkcudbrightshire 1854, sheet 26) labeled as an 'Old fence'. Although most of the rig terminates at the field bank, faint traces of rig are visible within the fort itself.
Information from RCAHMS (KMM), 27 April 2004.
Note (20 December 2013 - 23 May 2016)
This fort is situated on the summit of Beacon Hill to take advantage of the particularly steep slopes that fall away on the SE and S. D-shaped on plan, the ends of the broad sweep of the rampart and its external ditch rest on the escarpment on the ESE to form an enclosure measuring internally 110m from ESE to WNW by 98m transversely (0.88ha). For the most part the rampart has been reduced to a stony scarp standing between 2.5m and 3m above the bottom of the ditch, but there also intermittent traces of a counterscarp bank. There are entrances on the NE and SW.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 23 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC0331
