The Lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged: the Discovery of a Royal Stronghold at Trusty’s Hill, Galloway

177 Pages·2016·14.677 MB·English

by  Ronan Toolis, Christopher Bowles

The LosT Dark age kingDom of rhegeD
The Discovery of a royal stronghold
at Trusty’s hill, galloway
Ronan Toolis and Christopher Bowles
with contributions by

Beverley Ballin Smith, Torben Ballin, Cathy Batt, Alice Blackwell, Ewan Campbell,
Gemma Cruickshanks, Mary Davis, Karen Deighton, Jane Evans, Katherine Forsyth,
Derek Hamilton, Laura Hamlet, Samuel Harris, Fraser Hunter, Vanessa Pashley,
Susan Ramsay, Ben Stern and Cynthia Thickpenny
Oxford & Philadelphia
Published in the United kingdom in 2017 by
oXBoW Books
The old music hall, 106–108 Cowley road, oxford oX4 1Je
and in the United states by
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© oxbow Books and the individual authors 2017
hardcover edition: isBn 978-1-78570-311-9
Digital edition: isBn 978-1-78570-312-6
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The publishers would like to thank the Dumfriesshire & galloway natural history & antiquarian society and environment scotland
for the provision of grants towards the cost of publishing this book.
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Cover image: Trusty’s Hill aflame © GUARD Archaeology Ltd
This book is dedicated to the memory of Charles Thomas
Acknowledgements go to:
Also to:
Mouswald Trust
Hunter Archaeological & Historical Trust
John Younger Trust
Gatehouse Development Initiative
Galloway Preservation Society
Contents
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................................................vi
Chapter 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................1
Chapter 2 Fieldwork results ...................................................................................................................................11
Topographic survey ...........................................................................................................................................11
The excavation ....................................................................................................................................................13
Chapter 3 Dating and phasing...............................................................................................................................32
Archaeomagnetic dating, by Samuel Harris and Cathy Batt ......................................................................32
Radiocarbon dating and bayesian modelling, by Derek Hamilton ............................................................33
Chapter 4 The artefacts .............................................................................................................................................38
Ceramics ..............................................................................................................................................................38
Metalwork ...........................................................................................................................................................44
Metalworking ......................................................................................................................................................49
Lithics ...................................................................................................................................................................53
Coarse stones and stone tools ..........................................................................................................................56
Glass .....................................................................................................................................................................62
Chapter 5 Environmental evidence......................................................................................................................66
Animal bone ........................................................................................................................................................66
Soil micromorphology .......................................................................................................................................68
Archaeobotanical remains .................................................................................................................................75
Chapter 6 The rock carvings ...................................................................................................................................83
Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................83
Antiquity of the carving in areas A and B .....................................................................................................84
Carving in Area C ..............................................................................................................................................85
Carving in Area D ..............................................................................................................................................86
Analysis of image A: ‘double-disc and Z-rod’...............................................................................................86
Analysis of image B: Monster...........................................................................................................................90
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................95
Chapter 7 Discussion ..............................................................................................................................................103
The stratigraphy and chronology of Trusty’s Hill ......................................................................................103
The layout of the hillfort .................................................................................................................................105
Trusty’s Hill: a nuclear fort .............................................................................................................................111
The hillfort economy and culture ..................................................................................................................115
The vitrified rampart: conquest and destruction ........................................................................................132
A royal stronghold ...........................................................................................................................................135
Chapter 8 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................150
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................153
Index .............................................................................................................................................................................164
Acknowledgements
The success of the Galloway Picts Project was due to Brann, Andrew Nicholson, Simon Gilmour, Rebecca
the contributions of a significant number of people. Jones, Rod McCullagh, Lisa Brown, Gordon Noble,
Access to the site and permission to excavate was Julie Gardiner and members of the council of the
kindly provided by Alexander McCulloch. Financial Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and
and in-kind support for the Galloway Picts Project Antiquarian Society.
was generously provided by the Heritage Lottery The GPS topographic survey was undertaken by
Fund, the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural John Sherriff, Ian Parker, Adam Welfare and George
History and Antiquarian Society, the Society of Geddes of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Antiquaries of Scotland, the Mouswald Trust, the Historical Monuments of Scotland. Laser scanning was
Hunter Archaeological Trust, the Strathmartine Trust undertaken by Colin Muir and Alan Simpson of the
Sandeman Award, the Gatehouse Development Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation
Initiative, the John Younger Trust, the Galloway LLP (a partnership between Historic Scotland and
Preservation Society, the Royal Commission on the the Glasgow School of Art). The excavation of Trench
Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, 2 was supervised by Iraia Arabaolaza and Maureen
Historic Scotland and GUARD Archaeology Ltd. Kilpatrick, Trench 4 by Beth Spence and Ronan Toolis,
The archaeological excavation was undertaken by Trench 5 by Chris Bowles and Maureen Kilpatrick and
Alistair Livingston, Ron Forster, Kenny and Pat Trench 6 and sieving by Scott Wilson. The removal
Wilson, Margaret and Andrew Shankland, David and reinstatement of the iron cage protecting the
and Alison Steel, Alison Clark, John and Heather Pictish Carvings was undertaken by James Boam. The
Clark, Brian Jones, Ronald Copeland, Rachel Yorke, post-excavation wet sieving and sorting of samples
Beverley Vaux, Grace Macpherson, Karen Campbell, was undertaken by Scott Wilson, Beth Spence and
Nigel Joslin, Glenis Vowles, Tony Brotherton, Heather Aileen Maule of GUARD Archaeology. Technical and
Barrington, Francis and Eileen Toolis, Keith Hamblin, logistical support was provided by Aileen Maule, Bob
Henry and Laura Gough-Cooper, Sheila Honey, Will, John Kiely, Jen Cochrane and Joan O’Donnell
Gayle Reedman, Robert Gordon, Jeremy Brock, of GUARD Archaeology. Illustrations were prepared
David Hannay, Cara Gillespie, Deirdre Carlisle, by Gillian McSwan and Fiona Jackson of GUARD
Vicki Dowdell, Elizabeth Ormerod, Mary Cousins, Archaeology. The excavation was directed by Ronan
Douglas Snell, Sheree Buchanan, James Steel, Adia Toolis and Chris Bowles.
Bey, Vanda Tomeszova, Lukas Krejei, Margaret Laura Hamlet gratefully acknowledges the advice
Lister, Cecilia Franklin, Aubrey Chatham, Ciorsten of George MacLeod and Clare Wilson of the University
Campbell, Alistair Livingston (Snr), Macroy Spenser, of Stirling, Jennifer Brown of the University of
Rhys Coffey, Barry Dale, and Laurie Johnston and the Glasgow and Clare Ellis of Argyll Archaeology,
Advanced Higher History pupils of Douglas Ewart during the preparation of her soil micromorphology
High School. analysis.
Advice on the application for Scheduled Monument Katherine Forsyth and Cynthia Thickpenny are
Consent to undertake the archaeological fieldwork most grateful to Meggen Gondek for information
was gratefully received from John Malcolm, Alistair about the Rhynie pin in advance of full publication; to
Robertson, Pauline Megson and Noel Fojut of Historic Ross Trench-Jellicoe for his penetrating and insightful
Scotland. Further advice and support for the project comments on an earlier draft and for making available
was appreciatively received from Charles Thomas, unpublished papers on Glencairn and Eggerness; to
Ewan Campbell, Ian Ralston, Francis Toolis, David Ewan Campbell for advice on geology, for detailed
Steel, John Williams, Michael Cook, John Atkinson, comments on a draft and for making available his
Pauline Macshannon, Warren Bailie, Robin Turner, unpublished paper on Tirefour; and to Stephen
John Sherriff, John Boreland, Neil Fraser, Lyn Wilson, Driscoll for continuing support and advice.
Ken Smyth, David Devereux, John Pickin, Jane
Chapter 1
Introduction
Trusty’s Hill Fort rests on the summit of a craggy The first written reference to the place-name of
knoll within the Boreland Hills, in the Stewartry Trusty’s Hill was given in the Ordnance Survey Name
district of Dumfries and Galloway (NX 5889 5601). Book for Kirkcudbrightshire (Ordnance Survey 1848,
The site lies in the parish of Anwoth, approximately 26). The surveyor verified the name through four local
1 km south-west of the centre of Gatehouse of Fleet residents and recounts an interesting story about the
(Fig. 1.1). It is a key heritage asset of the Fleet Valley origins of the name. The surveyor states that ‘formerly
National Scenic Area. At a height of 72 m OD this is there had been a house at the base of the hill which
not the most prominent summit of the Boreland Hills, had been occupied by a man named Carson who had
an area of small hillocks covered in scrub and rough married one of the minister’s servants, which servant
grazing for cattle and sheep (Fig. 1.1). However, it the minister had always styled her as his Trusty
affords wide views over the Fleet valley. Higher peaks Servant, from whom it is said the hill took its name’
of the Boreland hills rise to the south-west partially (ibid.). The Name Book also states that the hill, which
blocking the view of the Fleet Bay. was on the farm of Boreland, had originally been
The fort is defined by a vitrified rampart around called the ‘Cairn of Borland’, though the surveyor
the summit of the hill, enclosing an area of 0.0437 ha, makes no mention of a cairn, simply adding that ‘on
with an outer bank and rock-cut ditch on its northern its summit is the vitrified fort’ (ibid.). Unfortunately,
side and a series of lesser outer ramparts on its available mapping evidence from the late sixteenth
southern side. It is particularly conspicuous amongst century to the middle of the nineteenth century shows
the hillforts of Galloway for the pair of Pictish neither Cairn of Borland or a cottage in the vicinity of
symbols, comprising a double disc and Z-rod, and a Trusty’s Hill and so it is difficult to verify this story.
sea-monster and sword, carved on an exposed face of The first survey of the site was undertaken in 1848
greywacke bedrock at the entrance to the fort. These by the Ordnance Survey for the First Edition 6-inch
symbols, their unique character and their location in map, published in 1854 (Fig.1.2). However, while the
south-western Scotland have long puzzled scholars. basic shape of the fort is recognisably correct, much
The site is first mentioned in the Anwoth parish of the finer detail is missing. The subsequent Second
entry in the Statistical Account of Scotland as ‘one Edition plan of the site produced by the Ordnance
of those vitrified forts which have lately excited the Survey in the 1890s is even less detailed, the surveyors
curiosity of modern antiquaries’ (Gordon 1794, 351). It appearing to have abandoned the premise of a small
was observed that the summit of this steep rock was hilltop citadel in favour of a larger oval enclosure.
‘nearly surrounded with an irregular ridge of loose This depiction ignores many of the topographical and
stones, intermixed with vast quantities of vitrified archaeological features present (Fig. 1.3).
matter’ and that ‘on the south side of this fort there The carved symbols were first drawn by John
is a broad flat stone, inscribed with several waving Stuart (Fig. 1.4), who also recorded that the site went
and spiral lines, which exhibit however no regular by the name of Trusty’s Hill (1856, 31). Stuart doubted
figure’ and ‘near it likewise were lately found several whether the horned head at the bottom was nothing
silver coins; one of King Edward VI; the rest of Queen but a more recent addition to the other carvings (ibid.).
Elizabeth’ (ibid.). The site was again noted just over 50 The first detailed plan of the site (Fig. 1.5) was in
years later in the New Statistical Account of Scotland, fact made around the same time as the Ordnance
but with no further information (Johnstone 1845, 378). Survey Second Edition map in the 1890s by Frederick
2 The Lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged
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Fig. 1.1. Site Location
1. Introduction 3
Fig. 1.2. Ordnance Survey First Edition 6-inch (1:10,560 scale) 1854 map. © Courtesy of RCAHMS (Ordnance
Survey Historical Maps). Licensor www.rcahms.gov.uk
Fig. 1.3. Ordnance Survey (1:2500 scale) 1896 map. © Courtesy of RCAHMS (Ordnance Survey Historical
Maps). Licensor www.rcahms.gov.uk
Coles, who recorded un-mortared stonework around that used by the Ordnance Survey but it reflects
the summit but noted that according to ‘accurate the archaeological features and the craggy, broken
observers’ the walls were regular and compact, and topography of the site somewhat better.
exhibited vitrification 40 or 50 years previously (1893, Of most interest to Coles were the ‘Dolphin’
173–4). The style of Coles’s depiction contrasts with and ‘Sceptre and Spectacle Ornament’ carvings. He