MHG4365 - Motte - Cromal Mount
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
- MOTTE (Medieval - 1058 AD? to 1559 AD?)
- (Alternate Type) QUARRY? (Unknown date)
Protected Status
Full Description
NH75NE 2 7822 5556.
(NH 7822 5556) Cromal Mount (NAT) Fort (NR (Remains of)
OS 25" map, Ross-shire, (1870)
Cromal, or Tom Mhoit, corrupted into Cromwell's Mount, is circular, c. 20' high, with its top surrounded by a rampart aboug 5' high, and which is nearly straight on the W side. An earthen mound once formed a raised approach on the SE; on its removal a section of the rampart in the same arc was also destroyed but revealed a layer of small calcined, or decomposing, stones level with the interior area and exposed fragments of charred wood in the section of the rampart.
NSA 1845; T D Wallace 1888.
Cromall (popularly Cromwell's) Mount is a 'saucer-mote' with a mound of slight elevation and a diameter of 60', within a ditch and rampart. It may not have had a bailey - or this has disappeared.
W M Mackenzie 1927.
A brass pin from Cromwell's Fort, Ardersier, is listed (item no. 139) in an inventory of the Northern Institutions Museum, 1827. This pin may well have been lost between then and 1877, but could be in the present Inverness Museum. Donated by Sir T D Lauder.
J Barron 1915.
Cromal Mount, a possibly artificial, but more likely natural, sandy hillock on the brink of a raised beach. The sides have partly been scarped and the top levelled, and an earthen rampart (up to 4.0m wide and 1.0m maximum height) has been placed around the brink of the summit enclosing a roughly D-shaped area measuring 35.0m NNW-SSE by 25.0m. The original approach was probably in the E on the line of the modern approach, but quarrying here and in the S has destroyed the rampart and the entrance, and probably the alleged ditch. Some 20.0m E of the base of the hillock is an earthen embankment up to 10.0m wide and 2.5m high surmounted by a modern wall. It is uncertain if this is contemporary with the site or later. The summit of the mound has been mutilated by a concrete water tank.
The site appears to be medieval rather than pre-historic, and probably has been a motte.
Visited by OS (A A) 14 September 1973.
The pin was not seen in Inverness Museum.
Re-surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (R D) 16 August 1964.
Cromal Mount was surveyed and three trenches cut to assess nature of any archaaeological deposits present. No archaeological features were found in the excavated trenches and it was concluded that the present appearance of the site, a well defined mound and bank is the product of quarrying for sand. The remains of a low bank which encloses the summit of the mound on two sides pre-dates the quarry but is of unknown date or purpose. The identification of the site as a motte cannot be confirmed. Sponsor: SDD HBM-AOC.
S Carter 1989.
NH75NE 2 7822 5556.
Historic Scotland proposes to revise the scheduling of this monument. <1>
The site was photographed by S Kruse during the ARCH Ardsersier and Hilton Local Heritage Project in 2013. <2>
Sources/Archives (13)
- --- SHG1131 Text/Publication/Article: Yeoman, P A. 1988. 'Mottes in Northeast Scotland', Scot Archaeol Rev Vol. 5 1988, p.125-33. Scot Archaeol Rev. 125-33. 131, 132, no. 74.
- --- SHG11514 Image/Photograph(s): Motte, Cromal Mount, Ardersier.. Colour Slide. .
- --- SHG11736 Image/Photograph(s): Aerial View :. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG1697 Text/Publication/Article: Barron, J. 1915. 'The Northern Institution', Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club Vol. 7 1906-12, p.200-37. Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club. 200-37. 233, No. 139.
- --- SHG2470 Text/Publication/Volume: Mackenzie, W M. 1927. The medieval castle in Scotland. 12-18.
- --- SHG2597 Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 14, Inverness-shire, 470-1.
- --- SHG2673 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of North-east Inverness, Inverness District, Highland Region. . 25, No. 187.
- --- SHG3149 Text/Publication/Article: Carter, S. 1990. Assessment of a motte at Ardersier, Inverness District. 41. 41.
- --- SHG3175 Text/Publication/Article: Meldrum, E. 1975. Medieval castles and towerhouses. SHG2345. 141-52. 144.
- --- SHG486 Text/Publication/Article: Carter, S. 1989. 'Cromal Mount (Ardersier parish), motte, probable', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1989, p.28. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 28. 28.
- --- SHG759 Text/Publication/Article: ISSFC. 1888. 'Excursion to Castle Stuart, Campbelltown, &c. Saturday 10th June 1882', Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club Vol. 2 1880-3, p.201-6. Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club. 201-6. 202.
- <1> SHG25202 Text/Report: Historic Scotland. Proposal to Schedule an Ancient Monument: Statement of National Importance. Historic Scotland. . Digital (scanned as PDF). 02/02/2011.
- <2> SHG26677 Collection/Project Archive: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2013-14. Ardersier and Hilton Local Heritage Project. Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). Yes. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 7822 5554 (164m by 173m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH75NE |
| Civil Parish | ARDERSIER |
| Geographical Area | INVERNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM2823 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/14316 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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