Details |
Possible Motte. The Castle Hill was described by the OSA (circa 1799) and by Christison as a fortification. According to Warden it is the site of the Castle of Inshewan. Christison further identified the entrance at the south-east corner of the site and a slight banking on the east which he interpreted as the remains of a rampart. Successive visits by the OS in the late 20th century have revised the interpretation of these features. In form the Castle Hill is an isolated rocky flat-topped 'island' of 0.15 hectares bounded on the south and west by the River South Esk and its steep-sided bank and on the north and east by a deep steep-sided ditch. The ditch, in solid rock, is up to 20m wide and 6.5m deep. Its massive proportions suggest that it is probably the former course of the river than a man-made feature (even though the present river level is 4 to 5m lower). Considerably natural silting now hides any evidence of water erosion and although the rock in its upper level shows many signs of fracture, this could be either natural weathering or artificial steepening. Although there is no evidence to suggest that the top of the 'island' has been artificially levelled (as previously thought), and there are no traces of stone or building foundations to indicate the site of a castle, the size and situation of the feature, however, suggest that it could have been used as a motte. There is no trace of banking on the east, but a slight bank around the south and west sides is clearly connected with the modern footpath.
|