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MHG2224 - Fort, Yarrows

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Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

Fort, Yarrows: Towards S end of plateau a short distance to NW of highest of Warehouse cairns (no. 551) are the ruins of a wall, stretching E-W for about 120', overgrown with peat and turf and in front of it on E half is a ditch some 15' wide and 6' deep. An entrance, some 6' wide, cuts through wall towards its W end. The wall is only recognisable elsewhere in places. In front of defences at S end is a glacis some 60' wide extending to edge of the plateau.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1910.

At ND 3042 4227 occupying level summit of a plateau commanding wide views are traces of an enclosure, probably the remains of a fort. The plateau is roughly triangular measuring about 90m N-S by 40m max width with its E and W sides edge by low cliffs. The more easily approached S side has been cut off by a wall now heavily obscured by peat build up and visible as a bank about 2.5m wide in which one or two possible outer facing stones can be seen. W end curves and continues N along W side for about 10m where it fades out on rocky slopes. Similarly in E there are vague traces of it before it vanishes on the outcrop. There is no trace of it continuing elsewhere on plateau. Near SW corner is an entrance gap about 1.5m wide. Outside the wall are one or two quarry holes but it cannot be ascertained whether these are contemporary or later. Although wall appears to be too slight to be a defensive structure, situation is naturally strong, and wall has probably been a fortification. The interior is featureless except for a modern ditched almost square enclosure near N end which measures 7.5m E-W by 7m N-S between centres of a ditch 0.4m wide and 0.3m deep cut into the peat.
Surveyed at 1:10,000. Visited by OS (I S S) 13 March 1972.

(ND 3040 4225) Fort (NR) OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)

This fort is included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online database. See link below for site entry. <1>

Sources/Archives (6)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred ND 3041 4227 (86m by 128m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	ND34SW
Civil Parish	WICK
Geographical Area	CAITHNESS

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