MHG26656 - Enclosure, ditch, turf wall and possible building - Dunballoch Plantation, Kirkhill
Summary
Enclosure, ditch, turf wall and possible building in Dunballoch Plantation, Kirkhill
Type and Period (4)
- TURF BANK (Unknown date)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- BUILDING? (Unknown date)
- ENCLOSURE (Unknown date)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
The Inverness Field Club, led by Donald Coghill, surveyed a number of sites in the Aird area between 1987 and 1989. Dunballoch Plantation; there is a ditch (which may have been interfered with during the last war) 55 yards long and curved to form a wide circle. It is 7 yards wide at the top end, but narrower next the Kirkhill - Dunballoch road due to upcast from a sandpit. The upcast of the ditch is to each side and it is much deeper at the bottom end next the sandpit. 35 yards down from this bottom end and towards the west and next the road, there are the very eroded remains of what appears to be an outer circular rampart. It is 20 yards long and has a ditch on each side. The bottom of the ditches are 6 yards apart.
About 25 yards in from to 55 yard inner ditch there appear to be stone footings of a rectangular structure 10 yards long on the south west side and 8 yards wide next the sandpit. The outer rampart and the broad inner ditch appear to be the remnants of a double circular ringwork enclosing perhaps a religious site. On the upside from, and unconnected to, this site, is an area consisting of heaps of spoil in the woodland, which has been left after digging mentioned in the first Statistical Account. Further up still is a very old turf wall with later stone facing on the down side. This wall now links across between 2 more recent and less substantial parallel turf walls, also with stone facing. The woodland on the outside of each parallel turf wall was formerly 2 arable fields belonging to Dunballoch Farm. <1>
Note: Site not visible on aerial photographs so location based on grid coordinates. The feature is visible in SEPA LiDAR data. (T. Blackie 12/12/22)
Sources/Archives (1)
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 5277 4516 (60m by 60m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH54NW |
| Civil Parish | KIRKHILL |
| Geographical Area | INVERNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/116621 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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