Iron Age Promontory Fort: Carghidown, Dumfries & Galloway

Following the North Solway Coast Promontory Forts Survey, AOC Archaeology Group directed a team of professional archaeologists, students and volunteers during the excavation of Carghidown over two seasons of fieldwork in 2003 and 2004, in response to coastal erosion. Carghidown represented a rare survival of an upstanding Iron Age settlement in lowland Scotland and in a region that has numerous later prehistoric settlements, such as hillforts, settlements, crannogs and promontory forts but few of which have ever been excavated.

The excavation of Carghidown revealed a ring-groove roundhouse, the foundation base for probably another roundhouse platform and an open yard area, all within the interior of a promontory fort enclosed by a linear rampart and ditch. While only a limited assemblage of finds was recovered, comprising mainly coarse stone tools and a saddle quern, three lead beads were recovered, which, through isotope analysis carried out by NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, revealed that the lead was probably extracted from a local source. Specialist analysis of the local context of Iron Age metalwork and copper and lead sources by the National Museum of Scotland provided compelling evidence for rare native experimentation with lead extracted during the local mining of copper during the Iron Age. That the inhabitants had access to this material suggests they were of some status within local society.

Further post-excavation analysis of the excavation results, such as radiocarbon dating of charcoal recovered from the roundhouse, and stratigraphic evidence, dated the occupation of Carghidown to a short period at some point between 360 BC and 60 AD. The stratigraphic evidence further demonstrated that the site was occupied sporadically and was only formally enclosed during the latter stages of its occupation. Soil micromorphology analysis indicated that within a year or two of this act of enclosure, the ramparts were violently thrown down and the repair and construction of buildings within the settlement was abruptly halted and the roundhouse abandoned.

Given the obscure setting of Carghidown within the landscape, its peripheral place within the contemporary settlement pattern and the violent context of contemporary society, the most credible explanation is that its principal function was a sporadically occupied refuge. Its significance lies in that as a refuge it implies planning and therefore a foreseen threat of a scale of violence that may be reasonably perceived as warfare. That it came to an unfortunate, premature demise bears testimony to the reality of that threat.

AOC Project Manager: Ronan Toolis
Research Grants: Historic Scotland, The Royal Archaeological Institute, The Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The Mouswald Trust and the Russell Trust.