Castle Hill Hillfort

• Twechar, East Dunbartonshire
• NS709761

Castle Hill is the hill fort which sits with Bar Hill Roman Fort, next to the Antonine Wall.

It is a small contour fort of which only small traces remain. The original date for the site is still unknown.

Originally covering an area of only 0.15 hectares, it measures 49 meters by 40 meters and is defended to the north and west by two ramparts. There is a possible entrance on the eastern side. It may have, at one time, covered the whole hilltop.

The ramparts to the north east, north west and south west were constructed of rubble, and the south and south east sides of the fort have been destroyed by quarrying.

As there have been no excavations on the site to date, little is known of the fort. In the area of Bar Hill Roman Fort, which was built on part of the hill fort, a shale spindle whorl and a perforated pendant have been uncovered. Following is the only information we have for this site.

1955         First recorded.

1957         Listed as a monument for the first time.

1961         Scheduled.

1977         Field Investigation.

1999         Scheduled. Monument Number SM90008

For more information on this hill fort visit the following links

Castle Hill. Canmore. Available at https://canmore.org.uk/site/45894/castle-hill.

SM90008. Antonine Wall, Bar Hill, rampart, ditch, fort and Military Way. Historic Environment Scotland. Available at https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM90008

References & Bibliography

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Breeze. D. J. 2011. The Frontiers of the Imperial Roman Empire. Casemate Publishers.

Breeze. D. J. 2013. Roman Frontiers in Britain. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Clarkson. T. 2012. The Makers of Scotland: Picts, Romans, Gaels and Vikings. Birlinn.

Crawford. O. G. S. 2011, Topography of Roman Scotland: North of the Antonine Wall. Cambridge University Press.

Keppie. L., Anderson. A., Bateson. J., Boyd. W., Hartley. K., Hodgson. G.,  Webster. P. 1985. Excavations At The Roman Fort Of Bar Hill, 1978-82. Glasgow Archaeological Journal, 12, 49-81. Retrieved October 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.rp.nla.gov.au/stable/44811026.

Keppie. L. 2002. New Light on Excavations at Bar Hill Roman fort on the Antonine Wall, 1902—05. Scottish Archaeological Journal, 24(1), 21-48. Retrieved October 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.rp.nla.gov.au/stable/27917471.

Poulter. J. 2010. The Planning of Roman Roads and Walls in Northern Britain. Amberley Publishing Limited.

Reports and Transactions. 190). The Scottish Historical Review, 1(3), 346-349. Retrieved October 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.rp.nla.gov.au/stable/25517509.

Richardson. J. 2019. The Romans and The Antonine Wall of Scotland. Lulu.com.

Shotter. D. 2004. Roman Britain. Routledge.

Southern. P. 2011. Roman Britain: A New History 55 BC-AD 450. Amberley Publishing Limited.

Spring. P. 2015. Great Walls and Linear Barriers. Pen and Sword.

Stuart. R. 1845. Caledonia Romana: A Descriptive Account of the Roman Antiquities of Scotland, Preceded by an Introductory View of the Aspect of the Country and the State of Its Inhabitants in the First Century of the Christian Era and by a Summary of the Historical Transactions Connected with the Roman Occupation of North Britain. Bell and Bradfute.

Swan. V. G. 1999. The Twentieth Legion and the History of the Antonine Wall Reconsidered. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 129. Vol 129(1), pp. 399-480.

Symonds. M. 2017. Protecting the Roman Empire: Fortlets, Frontiers, and the Quest for Post-Conquest Security. Cambridge University Press.

Tibbs. A. 2019. Beyond the Empire: A Guide to the Roman Remains in Scotland. The Crowood Press.