Angus HER - NO35NW0037 - CULHAWK HILL

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNO35NW0037
NameCULHAWK HILL
NRHE Card No.NO35NW37
NRHE Numlink 32266
HES SM No. 4492
HES LB No. NULL
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Incomplete
Details Ring-ditch house recorded by J Sherriff andO Macknight in 1985. It lies 500m north of Culhawk steading and has a 20m diameter defined by an outer stone wall up to 3m thick and an inner ditch up to 4m wide and 0.5m deep. The entrance is on the south-southeast and is defined by a gap in the stone wall and a causeway across the ditch. The site lies below the summit on the south side of the hill. Partial excavation of the scheduled ring-ditch house on Culhawk Hill, Kinnordy Estate, Kirriemuir, was commissioned by Historic Scotland as part of their ongoing programme of research into the impact of biota on archaeological sediments and was undertaken in 1996. The preliminary site interpretation suggested that the monument had two main phases, this was modified using radiocarbon dating. The earlier phase was marked by residual charcoal from the Neolithic, the later phase by the construction of the ring-ditch house, composed of: a penannular exterior bank, a discontinuous internal ring-ditch, a circle of 15 post-holes in the interior, an entrance-way through the bank and ditch in the south, associated with three post-holes, and two stone-built surfaces, one of which is definitely a hearth. There was no evidence for the replacement of any timbers nor for the dismantlement of the structure. A third phase of activity is represented by the penannular ring-groove which was later cut into the inner edge of the exterior bank, and in places through the upper fills of the ring-ditch. The ring-groove, which respected the entrance in the south, is thought to have held a continuous wooden fence creating an enclosure around the degraded remains of the house. After excavation the monument was restored to its condition prior to excavation. A stone spindle-whorl, 35.7mm in diameter and 10mm thick with a slightly offset hole, was found in the topsoil approximately 1.5m to the west of the central stone surface. Substantial environmental sampling was undertaken.
Last Update16/06/2020
Updated Bycpalmer
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NO35NW0037

National Grid Reference: NO 3495 5598



Event Details


Excavations and Surveys

Date MDate YTypeDurationDirector / OrganisationAuspicesFundExtent
 1985  J Sherriff & O MacknightHSHS 
81996   AOCHS 

Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CAUSEWAYS REMAINS OFB100
POST-HOLES REMAINS OFC100
HEARTHSSTONEREMAINS OFD100
RING-DITCHESHOUSEREMAINS OFA100