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St Abb's Head

Scottish Borders, Scotland · Atlas SC4150

St Abb's Head is a contour fort and a promontory fort in Coldingham, Scottish Borders, Scotland.

Other names on the record: Kirk Hill and Colodaesburg.

It is recorded as extant, with a partial univallate rampart form, surface evidence of earthen bank, and an enclosed area of 0.28 hectares.

Banks or ramparts are the remains most likely to be visible.

The topographic record places it on a hilltop and a coastal promontory and at 79 m.

The aspect is recorded as level.

Recorded land use includes pasture and heather moorland.

Dating evidence is recorded for AD 400–800 (C14). Reliability is recorded as B - Medium.

A scheduled monument number is recorded (2975).

Location

Atlas number
SC4150 (4150)
Country
Scotland
Current county or unitary authority
Scottish Borders
Historic county
Berwickshire
Parish, community, or townland
Coldingham
National Grid reference
NT 9164 6871
Latitude
55.91137
Longitude
-2.13594
Altitude
79 m

Form and condition

Type
contour fort and promontory fort
Condition
Extant
Morphology
partial univallate
Complete rampart circuit
No
Number of ramparts
1
Ramparts by quadrant
NE 0, SE 1, SW 1, NW 1
Possible original entrances
2
Breaks through the ramparts
2
Enclosed area
0.28 ha
Enclosing works, as visible
earthen bank
Enclosing works, excavated
earthen bank, stone wall, other burning, and palisade
Also recorded
multi-period enclosure system
Entrance forms
Simple Gap (South east); Simple Gap (North west)

Landscape

Topographic position
hilltop and coastal promontory
Aspect
level
Land use
pasture and heather moorland

Dating

Dating
AD 400–800
Dating evidence
C14
Dating reliability
B - Medium

Interior and investigation

Interior surface
rectangular stone structures and curvilinear platforms
Interior excavation
postholes and rectangular structures
Finds
pottery and metalworking
Investigations
1st Identified Written Reference (1944); Other (1967); Other (1978); Other (1979); Excavation (1980); Earthwork Survey (1981); Other (1993); Other (1997); Geophysical Survey (2011)

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number
2975
HER
Scottish Borders 60150
National record
record NT 96 NW 17; monument 60150
Wikidata
Q31107655

Sources

References

  1. Alcock, L (1981) 'Early historic fortifications in Scotland'. 150-80 (bibliography 182-201) in Guilbert, G (1981) Hill-Fort Studies: Essays for A. H. A. Hogg. Leicester University Press: Leicester
  2. Alcock, L (1981b) 'Kirk Hill (Coldingham p). Cliff castle'. Disc Exc Scot (1981), 1
  3. Alcock, L, Alcock, E and Foster, S (1986) 'Reconnaissance excavations on early historic fortifications and other royal sites in Scotland, 1974-84:1, excavations near St Abb's Head, Berwickshire, 1980'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 116 (1986), 255-79
  4. Carter, S (1997) 'St Abb's Head (Coldingham parish), survey'. Disc Exc Scot (1997), 66
  5. Cormack, W F (1967) 'Kirk Hill, St Abbs. Glass bangle'. Disc Exc Scot (1967), 17
  6. Hogg, A H A (1945) 'Roman fragments from Castle Dykes near Cockburnspath and from St Abb's Head'. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 79 (1944-5), 172-3
  7. Matthews, D (2011) 'Kirk Hill, St Abbs Head, Scottish Borders (Coldingham parish), geophysical survey'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 12 (2011), 161
  8. RCAHMS (1915) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Sixth report and Inventory of Monuments and Constructions in the County of Berwick (Revised Issue). HMSO: Edinburgh
  9. Shaw, G (2013) 'Coldingham, Kirk Hill, St Abbs Head, Geophysical survey'. Disc Exc Scot, New Ser, 14 (2013)
  10. Shaw, G & Lefort, R (2012) Kirk Hill, St Abb's Head, Berwickshire: Detailed Gradiometer and Earth Resistance Survey Report