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233:, founded during the Middle Ages, now occupies the land between the site of the fort and the river. The fort stood on the western side of the mouth of a valley which led south to central Fife. The eastern side of the valley-mouth was occupied by the peak of 'Mare's Craig' which produced several ancient artefacts but was never excavated. 'Mare's Craig' was also destroyed by quarrying during the twentieth century. A single-walled fort known as 'Black Cairn Hill' is situated to the south-west of the former Clatchard Craig and is still largely intact.
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which were fragments of tile. The third rampart, like the two preceding, was timber-laced, later replaced by earth and stone. There were a further two ramparts with minor additions and supplementary features. The earliest two ramparts, built in timber-laced stone were dated to the sixth century AD by
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115 feet (35 m), from which relics of early medieval date were obtained. This stood within a heavy oval rampart, 330 feet (100 m) by 200 feet (61 m). The next rampart overlay a series of hearths in which pottery was found, and in this rampart were masonry blocks with adherent mortar in
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elements 'clach', 'ard' and 'creag', or 'stone', 'high' and 'crag' respectively. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the hill of
Clatchard Craig once held a freestanding pillar of stone, 27m high, which was demolished in 1846 during the construction of the
412:. While occupied as a fortress, it consisted of a series of six ramparts surrounding a building on the summit of the hill. It comprised three main structural phases, the latest being the sub-rectangular enclosure on top, which measured 230 feet (70 m) by
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hard adjoyning to it is thair a great rock on the tope of the wche stuid thair a strange castell double trinshed leueiled with the ground by
Martius Commander of the Thracian Choorts under the emperour Commodus. The ruine of thes Trinches may to this day be
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showed that elite craftsmen worked within the fort. The impression that the fort was a high-status site was reinforced by the discovery of an ingot of silver and by the presence of fine metalworking activity within its perimeter.
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The two excavations of
Clatchard Craig, with other archaeological discoveries, allow an outline of the site's history to be described. The earliest signs of human activity on the site were pottery fragments and a
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onward and the fort itself was occupied from the sixth century AD until at least the eighth century. It stood close to several places which were centres of secular and religious power during the
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421:. Construction of the ramparts continued throughout the era with pieces of recycled Roman tile and mortared masonry included in the fabric. The fort's walls were
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geology, which provided raw material for the building of roads and railways, the excavations continued. As the quarry approached the perimeter of the fort the
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at some point suggesting that the site had once been destroyed by fire. A date cannot be ascribed to either the burning of the fort nor its abandonment.
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The presence of a paved hearth on the summit of the fort indicated a residence of high status while the discovery of clay moulds for the casting of
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Balfour provided no justification for his claim that the fort was destroyed by Roman forces. Clatchard was subsequently mentioned by
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in 1711 who attributed its construction to the Romans. Clatchard Craig lay close to the authentic Roman site of
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in 1954–55 and 1959–60 intended to investigate the site before its destruction. Between the two World Wars the
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The fort of
Clatchard Craig was situated on a hill of 119m height overlooking the coastal plain of the
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Iron-Age occupation attested by a scatter of pottery in both upper and lower enclosures. During the
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were identified. However, few of these artefacts dated to the second and third centuries AD, when
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The site of the former
Clatchard Craig fort, viewed from the west, in the early 21st century (
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The first known reference to the site is in a manuscript of the early seventeenth century by
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Quarrying in the area began with the arrival of the railway and, due to the hill's valuable
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In the late twentieth century AD Clatchard Craig was entirely destroyed by quarrying for
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led a campaign in the area between 208 and 211 AD. The nearby Roman fortress of
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Clay moulds for the casting of pennanular brooches found at
Clatchard Craig (
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The first evidence of permanent structures on
Clatchard Craig date to the
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Clatchard Craig viewed from the north. Late 19th or early 20th century.
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A plan of the fort made during the excavations of the twentieth century
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209:. The former site of the fort, now privately owned, remains a quarry.
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petitioned for an end to the quarrying but was over-ruled by the
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was very active in central
Scotland. During these centuries the
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194:. As such it seems to have been an important stronghold of the
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Excavation
Summary by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
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interprets the name of
Clatchard Craig as deriving from the
170:. A human presence on the site has been identified from the
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An aerial photograph of Clatchard Craig taken in 1932 (
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660:Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland
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501:Current Archeological Excavations at Forteviot
166:was located on a hill of the same name by the
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468:The site record for Clatchard Craig at RCAHMS
358:and fragments of pottery identified with the
321:. The quarrying then continued unchallenged.
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665:Former buildings and structures in Scotland
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587:Site record of Black Cairn Hill at RCAHMS
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479:The Monuments of Abernethy at RCAHMS
373:, iron-age pottery and fragments of
354:was indicated by the discovery of a
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350:. Continued occupation during the
243:Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
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490:A discussion of Pictish Forteviot
369:the site continued to be used. A
601:Site record of Carpow at RCAHMS
393:was constructed under Severus.
261:. While discussing his home of
252:Edinburgh and Northern Railway
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207:British Ministry of Transport
650:Archaeological sites in Fife
117:Timber faced earth and stone
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655:Celtic archaeological sites
565:Breedon Aggregates Limited.
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670:Iron Age sites in Scotland
512:Moncrieffe Hill at RCAHMS
325:Archeological excavations
315:British Ministry of Works
307:British Ministry of Works
259:James Balfour of Denmilne
237:History before excavation
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576:Mare's Craig at RCAHMS.
675:Hill forts in Scotland
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156:Destroyed by quarrying
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319:Ministry of Transport
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143:Excavation dates
221:Location of the fort
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430:pennanular brooches
346:both dating to the
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626:56.3463°N 3.2252°W
419:radiocarbon dating
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311:rescue excavations
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284:legionary fortress
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205:authorised by the
77:56.3463°N 3.2252°W
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387:Septimius Severus
385:was occupied and
176:early Middle Ages
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96:Pictish hill fort
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631:56.3463; -3.2252
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348:neolithic period
172:neolithic period
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82:56.3463; -3.2252
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680:History of Fife
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164:Clatchard Craig
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32:Royal Air Force
19:Clatchard Craig
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360:beaker culture
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309:conducted two
276:Robert Sibbald
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229:. The town of
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690:Hills of Fife
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383:Antonine Wall
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371:rotary quern
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162:The fort of
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375:Samian ware
356:cist burial
344:petrosphere
288:Severan era
80: /
56:Coordinates
644:Categories
614:56°20′47″N
437:References
352:Bronze Age
270:perceiued.
192:Moncreiffe
178:including
138:Site notes
127:Bronze age
65:56°20′47″N
617:3°13′31″W
423:vitrified
410:Dark Ages
367:Roman era
265:he wrote:
203:aggregate
184:Forteviot
180:Abernethy
153:Condition
125:Neolithic
68:3°13′31″W
303:andesite
231:Newburgh
129:Iron age
114:Material
43:Newburgh
40:Location
286:of the
148:1959–60
146:1954–55
133:Pictish
122:Periods
106:Builder
101:History
402:RCAHMS
391:Carpow
335:RCAHMS
280:Carpow
247:Gaelic
48:Region
685:Picts
196:Picts
188:Scone
131:Roman
109:Picts
379:Rome
282:, a
241:The
190:and
93:Type
51:Fife
227:Tay
168:Tay
646::
593:^
518:^
444:^
414:c.
362:.
290:.
254:.
198:.
186:,
182:,
404:)
337:)
34:)
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