MHG5696 - Fort - Caisteal an Duin Bhain, Muck
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- FORT (Early Iron Age to Pictish - 550 BC? to 900 AD?)
Protected Status
Full Description
NM47NW 2 4217 7867.
The site is now protected as a Scheduled Monument of National Importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act (1979) September 29 th 2004
DEH(23/01/06)
(NM 4217 7867) Caisteal An Duin Bhain (NR)
OS 6" map (1903)
A natural stack rising 15-30 ft above general ground level, adapted for occupation by the building of a wall 7-9ft thick around the summit, enclosing a lozenge-shaped area 95 ft N-S, by 129 ft E-W. The entrance is on the NNE.
RCAHMS 1928
Foundations of one or two probably medieval rectangular buildings may be seen within the fort, but nothing is known of their date.
R W Feachem 1963
Caisteal an Duin Bhain, a fort occupying the whole of the summit of a rock stack. The mainly turf-covered wall is built on the cliff edge, and the outer face, preserved to a height of 1.2m in sections along the N face, can be seen for most of the periphery. The base course of the inner face can be seen occasionally, especially in the NE, showing that the wall varied in thickness between about 2.2m and 2.7m. The entrance has mainly fallen away and no constructional details survive. The interior is occupied by the ruins of a late rectangular house with lazy bed cultivation, and the turf-covered traces of at least two other probably rectangular buildings.
Outside the fort in the W a wall about 2.0m thick has been constructed across the head of a slope between the stack and the sea, and a similar wall curves around the N side, with two ruinous rectangular buildings in the interspace. There are traces of a similar wall in the E. These walls appear to be later than the fort and are probably contemporary with the rectangular buildings.
Enlargement at 1:1250
Visited by OS (AA) 10 May 1972
See link below to HES Canmore record for photos and plans of the site. <1>
This site was included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online database. See link below for site entry. <2>
GIS spatial data created 2018 based on OS Master Map. <3>
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SHG2187 Text/Publication/Volume: Feachem, R W. 1963. A Guide to Prehistoric Scotland. 1st. 140.
- --- SHG2656 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1928. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Ninth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles. . 221, No.691; fig.312.
- <1> SHG23282 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Historic Environment Scotland. Canmore.
- <2> SHG27950 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Lock, G. & Ralston, I.. 2017. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. SC2522.
- <3> SHG23361 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Mastermap. Digital. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 4218 7864 (63m by 50m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM47NW |
| Civil Parish | SMALL ISLES |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (3)
- http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/SC2522.html (Link to online Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland site entry)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM11010 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/22137 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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