EHG4888 - Excavation - Scotsburn House Fort

Scotsburn House Fort is situated on the valley floor at the east end of Strath Rory, immediately to the east of the Balnagown River and at the foot of the hills to the north. The site occupies a spur of land on the southern edge of a natural terrace which is formed into an elevated promontory. The site is within an area of well-preserved prehistoric sites including hut-circles, field systems and chambered cairns, a situation partly due to its upland location, but nevertheless still a notable concentration in the region. Prior to excavation the upstanding remains of a large thick-walled dry-stone roundhouse enclosed by a series of outworks could be identified on the summit of the knoll. Encircling the house is a stone enclosure wall and three concentric earthen banks and ditches. The stone wall is clearly a later feature built partially overlying the inner-most earthen bank. A trench was hand excavated down to the latest occupation horizon, cleaned, planned, and recorded. The archaeological deposits located between the roundhouse and the stone enclosure wall, and between the stone enclosure wall and Bank A were cleaned and recorded and a number of sondages were excavated to sample material for environmental and dating assessment. The ditches and parts of Banks A ad B were excavated and sampled. <1>