A defended plateau on craggy Moncreiffe Hill preserves faint walling, ramparts and an entrance within woodland above the Earn valley.
Quick facts
- Date
- Late Iron Age or Early Historic period; scheduled in 1998
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric or early historic community
- Type
- Scheduled hilltop fort within managed woodland
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM9438)
- OS grid reference
- NO 13128 19900
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Natural cliffs and steep slopes defend much of the roughly oval summit. Builders augmented them with a wall around the plateau and ramparts near a south-eastern entrance, although no internal structures are visible at the surface.
Its story
A community in the late Iron Age or Early Historic period formalised a naturally strong hilltop. Later woodland obscured some remains, while modern survey and scheduling recognised its potential to explain defended settlement and economy.
Why it is included
Scheduling protects both visible defences and buried deposits, with added value from neighbouring forts and later traditions linking the hill to early medieval conflict.
What to notice
- Craggy natural edge used as defence.
- Faint ramparts near the south-eastern approach.
- Uneven bedrock across the fort interior.
Reading the surroundings
Use Woodland Trust entrances and waymarked routes. Paths are steep, uneven and sometimes muddy; keep dogs controlled, avoid trampling ramparts, and do not dig, move stones or create new paths.
Timeline
- Late Iron Age or Early Historic period Defences formalised a naturally strong plateau above the Earn valley.
- 728 tradition Later accounts associated Moncreiffe Hill with conflict between Pictish rivals Angus and Alpin.
- 1988 The Woodland Trust acquired Moncreiffe Hill and began long-term woodland management.
- 1998 Scheduling protected the fort and its archaeological setting.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
No internal buildings are visible and the exact chronology remains broad; historical battle associations should not be treated as excavated proof.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Moncreiffe Hill Fort, SM9438 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM9438 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Woodland Trust: Moncreiffe Hill — Current public access, path conditions, facilities and archaeological context.
Location
OS grid reference NO 13128 19900 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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