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Possible promontory fort or motte, comprising a substantial earthen rampart and ditch across promontory neck. The banks survive to a height of 0.6m and ditches to a depth of 0.8m. Along the top of the rampart is a collapsed wall. A later retaining wall has been built against the outer edge of the ditch. There is no trace of a 'drawbridge' nor of a rampart around the peninsula. Possibly an early type of motte which may have preceded the castle in Loch Kinord. Two later rectangular foundations lie within the enclosed area in the W. Following topographic survey, small scale excavation was carried out in March 2015 to obtain dating information. The banks are composed of redeposited natural material, probably of glacial origin. No artefactual material was recovered from the lower ditch which may have been redug in a relatively recent date. A trench dug through the inner bank recovered a small piece of iron and a small piece of what is probably slag from beneath the bank. Under the bank was a deposit which may represent the former land surface. Carbonised wood from this was radiocarbon dated to 3012-2876 BC. Whilst this indicates that the banks were constructed on this Neolithic land surface, the actual date of earthwork construction remains unclear.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)