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Lady Mary's Wood (Hillfort)

This is an isolated burial in a mausoleum within the remains of an Iron Age fort, which is now densely tree covered. The mausoleum was built in parkland of Crawford Priory, which Lady Mary Lindsay had built in the early 19th century. The mausoleum was a finely-built structure, using quality sandstone ashlar masonry. It has suffered much damage in later years, with walls and the roof structure partly collapsing. The gabled porch with rounded arch doorway survives mostly intact. It is thought only Lady Mary was buried here. Crawford Priory is itself a ruin and the parkland is now mostly farm land.

J Dowling 2017

Slivia 1 (Hillfort)

The open-air Museum of Mt. Ermada offers a chance to discover the Austro-Hungarian defensive line fortified in September 1916 following the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo. The Italian victory had forced the Habsburg Imperial Army to abandon the high ground around Monfalcone and move to this area around the Karst surrounding Trieste. The choice of settling at Mt. Ermada and the surrounding hilltops was not random, but rather driven by strategic and practical reasons.
From here, in fact, you could control both the Valley of Brestovizza (Brestovica Dol, now part of Slovenia) and the passage to Trieste, the Habsburg town claimed by the Italians. The sinkholes, the passages between the rocks and the natural caves of the Karst Plateau perfectly adapted to the needs of the Great War. Trenches, observation posts and housing for soldiers were built in no time, practically creating an insurmountable barrier for the Italians. All assaults of the Third Army between the Eighth and Tenth Battle of the Isonzo were indeed rejected despite the lower number of Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

Open-air Museum of Mt. Ermada

(From here you can see almost all of the Karst Forts which the Austro Hungarians used.)

Castle of Slivia I


From the centre of the village you can see the first of the two castles of Slivia, and reach it by following path no. 47 which runs through meadows dedicated to hay production. The summit, located at 199 m above sea level, is surrounded by an imposing wall, up to 5 meters high, characterized by the presence of a passage. The inner circle, circular, was further defended by another semi-circular outer structure. The chateau was widely used, from 1500 to 400 BC. The stones nowadays scattered in confusing times are most likely due to both the perimeter wall and the protostorical buildings that found space inside the inner shelves. Scary remains demonstrate how the castle was frequented sporadically even in Roman times.

The strategic importance of the altitude for the control of the surrounding area has also been noted in a much recent era: on the northeast side are still visible the shacks and trenches excavated to protect Mount Ermada during World War I. The castles for the grandeur of the remains and for the goodness of the research conducted here has been titled to the greatest local scholar of the castles: Carlo Marchesetti

Castelliere di Slivia I - Percorsi in Provincia di Trieste

Rupinpiccolo (Hillfort)

Rupinpiccolo Castle


The castle's outer wall is 240 meters long and is distinguished by the presence of two access roads. The imposing remains of the walls led the local Superintendence to restore the site in view of its importance. The originally elliptical profile of the castle wall is now interrupted in its western part from the underlying quarry, but from the section it still perceives the robustness of the enclosure formed by a drywall wall, with the outer skirts formed by large limestone blocks and the internal filling made up of stones and earth, to give greater stability to the structure. The castellary had a purely defensive function and control of the territory: they are almost all places on the hills that enjoy a great view on the surrounding area and generally succeed in seeing each other, letting them think that in the era of for which the Second Millennium BC was used, there was a kind of network of reports between a castler and the other, so as to form a true line of defense.

Castelliere di Rupinpiccolo - Percorsi in Provincia di Trieste

Toe Head (Broch)

The headland was also an important landmark over 2,000 years ago, as it was the site of a 'broch' a large and impressive tower of two or three storeys that served as an Iron Age chieftain's residence. All that now remains is the circular foundation course, partly build over by the chapel. All of its other stonework has been removed, probably re-used in the construction of the nearby buildings including the chapel. One or more possible lines of enclosure on the landward side across the narrowest part of the promontory may also been part of the defensive strategy.

In earlier prehistoric times, up to 5,000 years ago, people left enigmatic 'cup marks' (small circular depressions) on the rocky ledges of the headland. 500 metres along the shore are the eroding remains of their settlements, which had been occupied periodically since the time of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

Notice Board at site.

Leckie (Broch)

Some of the background to the site.

http://www.gargunnockvillagehistory.co.uk/pageLeckieBrochStory.html

Knockandu Church/Knowehillock (Stone Circle)

There is no trace of this stone circle in a re-afforested area. There is no knowledge at Carron House of the stone which went there in the early 20th century, but the minister of Knockando parish church (Information from R Prentice, The Manse, Knockando) believes that one of the grave stones in the Grants of Carron burial enclosure known as "The Elchies Tomb", in the churchyard, came from the stone circle. There are two erect monoliths in the enclosure, one inscribed with the date 1934, and the other with the date 1940; it is possible that one of them is the stone which originally went to Carron House.

Canmore.

(one problem with this, there are three.)

Glen Wood (Cairn(s))

Archaeological notes
NO66SE 2 6778 6227. (Name: NO 678 622) Three Laws (NR), Cist, Skeletons, Urn & Ring found (NAT). OS 6" map, (1959) The three 'Law of Logie' were three mounds, two of which had been dug into for sand and gravel by 1793. One contained a cist with a complete skeleton. 'The second Law was found to contain four human skeletons, deposited only at about a foot depth from the surface ... and at a little distance from these was found a beautiful ring, supposed to be of ebony, as black as jet, of a fine polish and in perfect preservation. This ring, which the minister of the parish has in his custody, is of circular form, flat in the inside and rounded without; its circum- ference is about 12 inches and diameter 4. The thickness of its rim in the middle is more than half an inch, and its greatest breadth about an inch and a half, which diminishes in gradual proportion till it is only about 1/4 of an inch.' At a depth of about 4' what was obviously a cinerary urn lying on its side was found at 6' were 'several cavities.' The third and largest of the three Laws was still intact 'near circular, with a sort of fosse round it, filled up with round stones, intermingled with pieces of glass.' OSA 1793. The sites of two of the mounds (B and C) are occupied by old gravel pits. The third appears to be a possible saucer-cairn and lies a little to the north, on the summit of rising ground. It is a circular enclosure very slightly raised in the centre, and surrounded by a shallow ditch and outer bank of earth and stones. This bank is 3.8m broad and generally 0.7m high except on the SW where it is 1.2m high as the ground dips into a slight hollow. The ditch is 3.2m wide and 0.3m deep. Across the bank it measures 36.0m in diameter. Dense undergrowth and fallen trees within the wood made detailed examination difficult. Visited by OS (J L D) 25 June 1958. The survivor ('A') of the 'Three Laws', on a rise, has recently been cleared of trees and scrub and mutilated by bulldozers crossing it, and is in poor condition. It consists of a fairly level circular area with a slight internal rise, c.20.0m in diameter surrounded by a ditch c.2.0m wide and 0.4m average depth with an outer bank of rubble stones on it rim c.3.5m wide and 0.4m average height, best preserved in the N arc. The interior is featureless, except for a mutilation in the N arc where a hole has been dug in the ditch to reveal the rubble infill mentioned in OSA, and the considerable stone content of the interior area, revealed by probing. No entrance is evident. The site appears to be a saucer-cairn with Wessex affinities.

Scotland's Places.

House Of The Fairies (Souterrain)

In 1844 a souterrain was discovered, known to the islanders as the House Of Fairies. It consists of a lintelled passage, some 9m long with at least one known lateral branch. The stones used in its construction are large, with massive walls converging towards to the top to accommodate the lintels. The structure which has been excavated numerous times since 1844 with finds giving a suggested date back to the first or early second millennium AD. A few decorated potsherds are similar to standard Iron Age finds uncovered elsewhere in the Western Isles.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Dun Bharabhat (Stone Fort / Dun)

The broch or galleried dun is on a small islet in Loch Bharabhat. The approach is a 600m walk from the road (B8059) into Bernera, crossing over the bridge into the island from the Lewis mainland. Accessibility but worthwhile. The dun was robbed early last century to build a sheep dipping tank, but sufficient remains to the site one of great interest. Dun Bhatabhat is an 'island dun', a defensive structure built on a small island with a 33m long causeway approach; it is one of a number of such structures to be found in the Western Isles.

Recent excavations have produced some surprises. Far from being the simple (i.e. solid walled) dun as recorded much earlier this century, it has features akin to a broch. One radio carbon date suggests 650BC for a primary structure and another, around 100BC, indicates a secondary occupation before abandonment. What is interesting about these dates is that they are earlier than the dating plan suggested for duns on the Scottish Atlantic coast.

The dun once had a double set of walls, like a broch, with a stair case in one intra mural gallery. At some time in the dun's history there w2as a second structure outside its walls which now lies in the waters of Loch Bharabhat. This has proved to be an excellent time capsule from which various objects have been recovered, pieces of heather rope, animal bones and straw, all of which have to be correctly assessed and placed in an appropriate time context.

The whole site is of interest because the underwater excavation complements the work being carried out on the land based dun and is the first time the two techniques have been used hand in hand.

About one quarter of the dun wall still survives to a height of 3m and is about 2.4m thick. A lower gallery is visible with a chamber at intermediate height.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Loch an Dun (Stone Fort / Dun)

This site is in Loch an Dun, near Lower Bayble on the Eye Peninsula. However impressive it might have been in its day, it is now in a completely ruinous state, being roughly a circular mass of stone. The site is connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway about 1m wide. Some imagination is need to identify parts of the dun's outward wall, close to the water level, which seems to have been solid rather than galleried.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Dun Bharclin (Stone Fort / Dun)

This site, known as Dun Bharclin on the OS map, is rather inaccessible, being on a small islet just south of Risay Island in Loch Luirbost. The dun seems to have consisted of walls built round the edge of the islet but which are now a mass of tumbled stone, 4m broad in places. A 1914 report on the site stated that many stones has been removed to Stornaway for building purposes.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Shawbost (Promontory Fort)

This promontory juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and is well placed for a defensive structure with outlooks to both north and south. It is joined to Lewis mainland by a narrow neck of land across which a massive stone wall has been erected, the stones of which are now a tumbled mass spread over an area which is nearly 9m wide in places, indicating the original strength of the structure. The entrance to the promontory was at the south end of the wall at a wide gap between the wall end and the cliff edge.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Garrabost (Kerbed Cairn)

This site is now a setting of seven kerbstones lying in a circle some 20m in diameter. The possible remains of the chamber consist of four large slabs and what could be a fallen capstone. The whole site has been badly robbed of its original material but is well worth a visit if only to appreciate the location of the monument and its setting.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Carn A' Mharc (Chambered Cairn)

This site is about 3km north west of Gress Lodge and described on the OS map as 'Carn a' Mharc'. It has been suggested that the site was levelled artificially in ancient times. The cairn itself consists of a mound of stones roughly 28m in diameter, with a kerb of boulders still discernible on the south-west edge. Some large slabs close by may have been part of the chamber and an entrance passage.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Dunan (Chambered Cairn)

This ruin is to the east of Aonghas Bridge and marked on the OS map as 'Dunan'. Hardly 1m above the ground, it is about 15m in diameter. Like many of its kind in the island it has been both disturbed and robbed. But enough survives to show a roughly circular chamber about 2m in diameter. A couple of large slabs may be part of the original roofing. Trying to identify an entrance passage is a more than difficult task but some large slabs and boulders on the south-west may give a clue to its former position.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Caisteal Mhic Creacail (Chambered Cairn)

This site is a scattered heap of stones overlooking Broad Bay. It is listed as a chambered cairn on account of the remains of erect stones with a broken capstone. On the OS map the site is called Caisteal Mhic Creacail, suggesting an ancient castle or fortification, or perhaps a later attempt to restore the site to create a defensive structure.

Lewis and Harris by Francis Thompson.

Clach Stei Lin (Stone Circle)

This is a 1.5m high standing stone, but is not entirely alone. A survey of the site carried out in 1914 identified a number of prostrate stones, some lying underneath a covering of peat, giving the impression that they were overthrown standing stones and probably part of an original circle.

'Lewis & Harris, History and Pre-history' by Francis Thompson.

Davie's Castle (Hillfort)

'The green track ahead brings us to commercial forestry and forges dead straight ahead for a couple of miles. Half a mile along is a second wonder. We plunge off road to our second fortress of the day - Davie's Castle. A glacial tummock above the Glen Burn was fortified (in the Iron Age - say 2500 years ago) - defended with a circuit of ditch and a low bank (originally topped with a wall or palisade). Not a major hillfort but a suitable place for a petty chief to asset status among his own dependants and to proclaim power to his envious neighbours.'

John Barrett Knock News - No. 112 June 2106.

Dundee Law (Hillfort)

the Law was the site of a vitrified hillfort probably occupied during the Bronze Age. Remains of a settlement were found where the road was built to the top of The Law in the 1920s. Over the centuries it has been occupied by the Picts and Scots.

Old Dundee (postcards of Dundee) by Andrew Cronshaw.
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Still doing the music, following that team and getting lost in the hills! (Some Simple Minds, Glasvegas, Athlete, George Harrison, Empire Of The Sun, Riverside, Porcupine Tree, Nazareth, The Avalanches, Public Service Broadcasting on the headphones, good boots and sticks, away I go!)

Turriff, Aberdeenshire

https://www.thedeleriumtrees.com/

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