MHG12435 - Promontory Fort - Mas na Buaile
Summary
The monument is most visible at the west and central areas of the promontory and tends to peter out at the E end where it runs into hummocky ground.
Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A 2ha promontory has been fortified with a strong wall 80m long and up to 4m wide and 1.5m high with inner and outer facing stones visible. A cliff section reveals an earthen core and the entrance lies near the walls' S end. Part of the interior has been disturbed but no structures are visible. A modern dyke lies at the foot of slope below the wall.
D W Ross 1987.
The site is included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online database. See link below foe site entry. <1>
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
On a small, high-cliffed promontory that rises to 175 ft is a site as described in the NMRS after a site-visit by D W Ross in 1987 (DES 1987, 29). This two-hectare promontory has been fortified with an 80 m long wall that is up to 4 m wide and 1.5 m high and has an inner and outer stone-facing and earth-core visible in a cliff-edge section. This wall may actually be of a ditch-and-bank construction with some earth excavated from the interior and thrown into the fabric of the bank. There is possibly erosion additional to that noted in 1987 at the west end of the wall. This seems to have been caused by sheep sheltering against this side and burrowing into the wall-fabric. The monument is most visible at the west and central areas of the promontory and tends to peter out at the east end where it runs into hummocky ground. The steep slope at the south of the enclosing-wall has some stone visible through the undergrowth, which may represent tumble from the wall. There are no obvious structures within the enclosed area. <2>
NGR adjusted based on 1999-2001 vertical aerial photographs. <3>
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG1498 Text/Publication/Article: Ross, D W. 1987. 'Skerray-Mas Na Buaile (Tongue parish) fort, promontory', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1987, p.29. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 29. 29.
- <1> SHG27950 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Lock, G. & Ralston, I.. 2017. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. SC2784.
- <2> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . p.253 Site 23.
- <3> SHG27491 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 1999-2001. Get Mapping colour vertical aerial photography 1999-2001 (The Millennium Map). XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 6728 6353 (145m by 181m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC66SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | TONGUE |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (2)
- http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/SC2784.html (Link to online Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland site entry)
- https://trove.scot/place/5788 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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