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Murray Cook: 'The Altered Earth: Excavations at Hill of Barra

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Murray Cook: 'The Altered Earth: Excavations at Hill of Barra 27 The altered earth: excavations at Hill of Barra, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire Murray Cook from contributions by Fraser Hunter, Gordon Cook, Lindsay Dunbar, Rob Engl, Stefan Sagrott and Hana Kdolska Introduction of construction. The latter, which now forms the inner circuit, comprises a rampart with an external ditch The RCAHMS survey of Strathdon, Aberdeenshire with traces of a counterscarp bank on the east (Illus 3). characterised the various hillforts within the area into Throughout the text the generic term ‘defences’ will six types, on the basis of size and defensive system be used to describe the system of banks and ditches, (RCAHMS 2007), though without any chronological although it is used as shorthand and is not meant to significance. As no intrusive work had been undertaken imply function. on the sites it was unclear how the classes related to The interior measures 122m by 95m and there were each other. It should be noted that the term Strathdon at least two entrances, one on the south-east and the does not appear in the final version of the RCAHMS other on the west, although this latter may be a product volume, which instead uses the more correct Donside; of robbing of the rampart. There is also a narrow gap however, it was used in an earlier draft (Strat Halliday in the rampart on the north, probably a more recent pers comm) which was the inspiration for this programme break. On the south-east there is a clearly defined of research. causeway across the line of the ditch and the entrance The Hillforts of Strathdon Project aimed to explore passage through the rampart is flanked with large the chronological relationships between the area’s boulders. The latter is also a feature of the putative various hillforts (Cook 2010) by undertaking keyhole entrance on the west, but here the rampart has been excavation, with local volunteers on one example almost entirely robbed away, it may be that the flanking from each of the six site types to recover dating boulders relate to the outer ramparts. A later undated evidence from taphonomically secure contexts. The fieldbank was subsequently constructed on the inner project examined six hillforts over five years (Cook rampart and the interior was probably later reused as 2010): Bruce’s Camp (NMRS NJ71NE 3; Cook et al an agricultural enclosure and this has confused the forthcoming), Maiden Castle (NMRS NJ62SE2; Cook visible sequence. 2011); Dunnideer (NMRS NJ62NW1; Cook 2010); The earlier defences lie to the exterior of the later Hill of Newleslie (NMRS NJ52NE 31), Hill of Barra fort and for the most part comprise two ramparts with (NMRS NJ82NW 4; Cook et al 2009) and Cairnmore external quarry ditches, but there are also traces of (NMRS NJ52SW 9; Cook et al 2010). This paper additional outer lines on the north-west. The ramparts presents an interim account of the third season of are most impressive on the north-east, falling away into the project which examined the multivallate hillfort the steep-sided ditches, but around the west they are at Hill of Barra (NGR NJ 8025 2570) and places the largely reduced to terraces. Additionally on the west, results in their immediate context. where the outer rampart swings out to accommodate a stretch of sheer rock outcrop, the inner rampart has been entirely removed. There are entrances on the Location and background west, south-east, north and south, only the south-east entrance is definitely not blocked by the later defences, Hill of Barra lies on the northern edge of a ridge of thus demonstrating the sequence of construction. small hills to the south of Oldmeldrum, at an altitude The entrance on the south-east is the best defined, of c 193 m OD (Illus 1) and is located to the east of the the ramparts returning around the terminals of the majority of all the other hillforts in Strathdon. The ditches. The returns on the north side of this entrance gentle domed summit of the hill and its immediate are revetted with boulders, and the remains of similar environs are dominated by pasture. The hill top has stone linings can also be seen in the south and western commanding 360o views of the surrounding area, entrances. including the fertile valleys and hill ranges to the west On the summit of the hill are two substantial encompassing the hillforts at Mither Tap, Bennachie glacial erratics, one of which is known as Wallace’s and Tap o’Noth (Illus 2). Putting Stone, which is said in local folklore to have ‘Barra’ is Gaelic for hill or height (Johnston 1906, been thrown by William Wallace from Bennachie 35). The upstanding remains at Hill of Barra (NMRS (NMRS NJ82NW 107). The two stones are in fact NJ82NW 4) show surface indications of two periods representative of a series of substantial glacial erratics Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal vol 18 2012, 27–40 28 Murray Cook Illus 1 Location of Hill of Barra and additional sites mentioned in the text. (David Connolly) The altered earth: excavations at Hill of Barra, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire 29 Illus 2 view from Hill of Barra to the Bennachie in the west. around the hill (Murray Cook pers obs). A leaf shaped Echt (NMRS NJ70NW 1) which also features the same arrow head was recovered from a crack in this stone pattern of multiple entrances, although there are five (NMRS NJ82NW 22). There is also clear evidence ramparts here (RCAHMS 2008, 108). In addition, the that the stone was drilled, perhaps to insert explosives site is located in a similar location to that of Hill of ( Bill Howard pers comm), presumably to both exploit Barra, on an isolated range to the south-east of the main the stone and to increase the available land on the hill. body of hills. A more successful attempt at clearance appears to have Barclay (1997) has suggested that this latter site may occurred at the nearby recumbent stone circle of Kirkton be Neolithic in origin and represent a causewayed camp of Bourtie (NMRS NJ82SW 2), which now survives as of cognate form. The existence of such monuments in three stones surrounded by a pile of other large cleared Scotland is debated and there are not even any putative stones. Indeed, the famous stone avenue at Broomend examples north of the Tay (Barclay 2001; Noble 2006). of Crichie (Bradley 2011), the Brandsbutt stone and In England, however, there are numerous examples of associated circle at Inverurie also suffered the same causewayed camps being succeeded by later hillforts fate (NMRS NJ71NE 12; NJ72SE 12). The hillfort’s (Brown 2009). interior and surrounding area are covered with rig and A considerable number of unstratified artefacts have furrow (NMRS NJ82NW 119). been recovered from Hill of Barra including pottery Hill of Barra is also known as Comyn’s Camp and (NMRS NJ82NW 219), early prehistoric lithics (NMRS has traditionally been seen as the encampment of the NJ 82NW 4, 4.1, 10, 22 and 59) and a now lost perforated Comyns prior to the Battle of Inverurie (also known early prehistoric mace head from one of its ditches (NMRS as the Battle of Oldmeldrum) in 1308 between the NJ 82NW 5). Other commentators have identified this Comyns and King Robert I during the Scottish Wars accumulation of early prehistoric material as being rare of Independence (NMRS NJ82NW 4). While there is and significant (Dunwell and Strachan 2002, 92). Prior no evidence that the defences were built or even altered to these works no intrusive archaeological work had by the Comyns, this does not mean they did not camp been undertaken on the site. here. However, the name may simply represent a common process by which significant landscape features are connected in folklore with memorable and tangible Results events or characters in the past (Ralston 2006, 12). For example just outside Inverurie there is another Iron Age The project took place in July 2009 with local volunteers hillfort, called Bruce’s Camp (NMRS NJ71NE 3; Cook and students. Five trenches were excavated across the et al forthcoming), which is assumed to have been site: two trenches across the defences on the southern linked to King Robert I at the same battle. side and three in the interior (Illus 3). All the topsoil The RCAHMS (2007, 100) place Hill of Barra in was sieved by hand. The results of the excavation are Class 2 (multi-vallate enclosures) of their series. It is presented in two parts; the defensive sequence and the remarkably similar in form and size to Barmekin of internal activity. 30 Murray Cook Inner rampart a rough stone capping and measured 1.35m thick and 0.65m high. Together the two banks measured The inner rampart survived as a surface feature up to at least 1.75 m thick and up to 0.65m thick. Early 0.1m high and was located immediately on the edge prehistoric worked lithics were recovered from the of the slope. Excavation revealed it was constructed fill of the secondary bank (Engl 2009). In addition, of stone, measured up to 2.4m thick and survived up undiagnostic hand thrown prehistoric pottery to 0.80m high with three courses (Illus 4). There was (MacSween 2009) was recovered from elsewhere no trace of the later field bank within the excavations. in the outer rampart. To the exterior of the rampart was a berm some 1.5m wide, immediately beyond this was a near vertical cut Interior some 0.6m high, presumably designed to create the impression of a more substantial rampart. Three 2m by 2m trenches within the interior of the At the base of the slope below the inner rampart fort (Illus 3) identified both a considerable variation was a flat terrace, some 7.5m wide which overlapped in the depth of topsoil and in the associated volume the middle rampart and masked a rock cut ditch, of artefacts present.
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