Kilmory, Dunmore, Dun Mor

NR88NE 6 8774 8658.

(NR 8775 8660) Dun Mor (NAT)

OS 6" map, 2nd ed. (Argyllshire), (1900).

A dun, 50' x 30', with a possible entrance marked by a hollow on the NE, lying within a roughly circular enclosure to which a ramp leads from a lower terrace on the N.

At the W of the ridge is an access terrace with massive footings and two upright stones, probably gateposts.

Leitch gives the tradition that the fort was the "stronghold of the MacIvers".

M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964; C Leitch; D Christison 1904.

The site of a dun, consisting of a grass-covered scarp, encircling the summit of Dun Mor. The defended area probably measured overall 23.0m N-S by 11.0m. No definite entrance is visible, and the interior is featureless.

The relationship of the dun to the two stones flanking the track ascending the ridge on the W is uncertain.

Visited by OS (DWR) 13 June 1973.

NR 8774 8658. The vestiges of a dun, generally as described in the previous information. There are no upstanding remains to be seen, but there is a large amount of tumbled material on the lower slopes especially on the east side.

Visited by OS (BS) 23 March 1977.

A recent visit by Dr Swanson, the Regional Archaeologist has confirmed the archaeological nature of this site which was omitted from Argyll 6 (RCAHMS 1988), as dense trees and vegitation made identification uncertain.

The remains consist of an oval fort situated on a narrow, elongated rocky ridge orientated NE - SW and sloping steeply to the W about 850m E of Kilmory Castle. The site is defined by the remains of a wall visible as an overgrown bank up to 1m high in places, with occasional inner facing stones at the NE end. It is best preserved at the W edge of the summit.

The approach was probably from the NE via a natural gully leading to a level walled terrace below the summit. The wall has been largely reduced to foundation level but some massive outer-facing stones are in situ.

A further outwork may exist on the SW side, where the ridge falls away in a series of terraces.

The site has now been cleared of coniferous trees and bracken which has been sprayed. It is to be a viewpoint in a Forestry Commission recreational trail.

Information from Dr C Swanson August 1991.

A survey of the rock outcrop (MS 625/35) was carried out by the CFA between March and August 1993.

T Neighbour and M Wilson, CFA, 1993.

A survey was conducted in order to produce a plan for an interpretative noticeboard to be erected by the Forestry Commission. The numbers in parentheses within the following text refer to the plan in DES 1993.

The archaeological features within the survey area represent the use of Dun Mor as a defended settlement, possibly spanning a number of periods. Place name evidence and local tradition suggest that Dark Age fortification once occupied the summit. Features (7) and (9) may represent the remains of this, although this suggestion must remain at best tentative. With the information currently available it is difficult to date the use of most of the various features with any confidence.

The two arcs of turf-covered wall-footings on the summit (9) may also potentially define a sub-circular structure which may have been a prehistoric dun. This structure has a diameter of 12m, acceptable for a small dun, although at less than 1m thick the walls are very narrow. A series of low turf-covered stone banks (6, 7 and 10) and a mound (12) in this case may be outworks.

A series of natural terraces to the N and S of the summit (2, 13 and 14) appear to have been artificailly enhanced, with definite traces of revetting walls (1) filling natural fissures in the bedrock to create the most southerly example (2).

The platforms and summit are approached and linked by a series of trackways and hollow-ways (3, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17). The most striking example is that which approaches the summit from the S (3). A pair of orthostats (4) and a line of associated recumbent stones (5) located close to the summit appear to act as an entrance to the defended settlement.

Sponsor: Historic Settlement.

CFA 1993.

NR 8774 8658. This feature is not well preserved but has been added to the OS 1:50000 map beacause the area is being opened up to the public via Kilmory Woodland Park and an interpretation board could be sites nearby at a later date.

Information from OS (GHN) November 1996