The
result
of
excavations
carried
out
in
2012
at
the
vitrified
fort
on
Trusty’s
Hill
near
Gatehouse
of
Fleet,
were
presented
by
Ronan
Toolis
to
the
Galloway
Preservation
Society
at
the
Mill
on
the
Fleet
on
Saturday
5
April.
Trusty’s
Hill
is
notable
for
the
Pictish
Symbols
carved
into
a
natural
rock
outcrop
at
the
fort’s
entrance,
which
are
unique
in
Galloway.
The
Galloway
Picts
Project
was
a
community
research
excavation,
organised
by
the
Dumfriesshire
and
Galloway
Natural
History
and
Antiquarian
Society
to
mark
their
150th
anniversary,
to
try
to
find
an
explanation
of
what
Pictish
carvings
are
doing
in
Galloway,
so
far
from where Pictish Carvings are normally found, in North-East Scotland.
lThe
excavation,
which
was
undertaken
by
65
volunteers
supervised
by
professional
archaeologists
from
GUARD
Archaeology
Ltd,
recovered
an
abundance
of
domestic
debris
from
organically
rich
'dark
soils'
within
the
site,
including
animal
bones,
tools
and
a
spindle
whorl,
which
demonstrate
that
Trusty's
Hill
was
once
the
home
of
a
small
community.
But
there
was
also
clear
evidence
that
this
was
no
ordinary
settlement.
The
excavators
found
lots
of
crucibles,
clay
mould
fragments
and
slag,
proof
that
metalworking
was
being
carried
out
in
part
of
the
site.
Post-excavation
analysis
of
the
crucible
fragments
demonstrates
that
gold,
silver
and
leaded
bronze
was
being
crafted
at
Trusty's
Hill
into
jewellery.
Lead
recovered
from
the
site
has
also
been
proven
to
come
from
lead
sources
in
Galloway.
The
range
of
evidence
suggests
that
Trusty's
Hill
was
not
just
a
settlement
but
was
also
an
important
metalworking
centre
with
access
to
significant
resources
and
craftworkers for the production of high status jewellery.
The
Galloway
Picts
team
are
confident
that
they
have
not
only
discovered
that
the
Pictish
Carvings
at
Trusty's
Hill
are
genuine
but
may
be
connected
with
a
royal
stronghold
of
the
lost
Dark
Age
Kingdom
of
Rheged.
The
only
two
other
sites
outside
Pictland
where
Pictish
Carvings
are
found
are
the
known
capitals
of
early
medieval
kingdoms:
Dunadd,
the
capital
of
the
early
Scots
kingdom
of
Dalriada,
and
Edinburgh
Castle
Rock,
once
called
Din
Eidyn,
the
capital
of
the
British
kingdom
of
the
Gododdin.
The
layout
of
Trusty’s
Hillfort,
with
an
upper
citadel
where
a
great
hall
may
have
stood,
and
lower
precincts
where
activities
like
metalworking
may
have
been
undertaken,
is
comparable
to
Dunadd.
The
finds
from
the
recent
dig
at
Trusty's
Hill
shows
that
the
Britons
here
were
of
the
same
social
status
as
the
people
who
ruled
from
these
royal
capitals.
Furthermore,
the
excavation
revealed
a
rock-cut
basin.
As
well
as
containing
waterlogged
deposits,
from
which
worked
wood
and
other
organic
remains
were
recovered,
the
location
of
this
feature,
outside
the
rampart
and
on
the
opposite
site
of
the
entrance
to
the
Pictish
Carvings,
suggests
a
ritualised
entranceway
as
the
immediate
context
of
the
Pictish
Carvings
at
Trusty's
Hill,
remarkably
similar
to
the
surrounding
context
of
the
inauguration
stone
at
Dunadd.
If
the
artefacts
and
Pictish
symbols
point
to
the
status
of
the
site's
inhabitants,
the
vitrified
ramparts
shows
they
had
their
enemies
too.
The
fort
was
clearly
attacked,
and
the
excavations
have
revealed
that
its
ramparts
were
then
destroyed
in
a
spectacular
show
of
force
and
power.
The
stone
ramparts
were
anchored
with
large
upright
wooden
posts
and
each
of
these
was
purposely
set
alight
and
stoked
to
the
point
where
the
stone
rubble
packed
around
them
began
to
melt,
or
vitrify.
Vitrification
only
occurs
at
extremely
high
temperatures
and
requires
sufficient
fuel
and
oxygen.
The
destruction
of
the
ramparts
may
have
taken
days,
even
weeks,
to
complete.
Over
this
time,
the
fiery
glow
of
the
burning
rampart
would
have
been visible from all around the Fleet Valley as the fort was slowly destroyed.
A warm vote of thanks to Ronan was proposed by Michael Brown.
An exhibition about Trusty's Hill is about to open at the Mill of the Fleet in Gatehouse.
For more information about the Galloway Picts Project, visit:
www.gallowaypicts.com
March 2014 Lecture - Galloway Castles in Danger
On the 8th of March In the Gordon Memorial Hall, Castle Douglas, members of the Galloway
Preservation Society were given an entertaining and informative lecture entitled “Galloway Castles
in Danger”.
The speaker, Dr Janet Brennan, has hands on experience of the subject through her restoration,
with her husband, of the ruin of Barholm Castle near Gatehouse of Fleet, as well as being the
author of the forthcoming book “Scottish Castles Rescued, Rebuilt and Reoccupied”.
Janet began by comparing the current condition of ruined castles in Galloway with their reported
state in 1895, when they were surveyed by the Victorian architects MacGibbon and Ross. She
explained that over a quarter are now in a worse condition and
then went on to look at over 20 examples of castles which are
continuing to deteriorate today. Many are under threat from ivy
and other vegetation which are progressively weakening the
structures and leading to further collapse. While some are
suitable candidates for restoration into dwellings (such as
Dunskey and Plunton), others are either too close to houses or
agricultural buildings or in too much in a state of collapse. Also, many have been acquired,
sometimes even unknowingly, by landowners for whom the ruin is incidental to the use for which
the land has been purchased. She ended by reminding the Society of the need to ensure that
these historically significant Galloway castles are preserved and do not fall into terminal decline.
After a number of questions from the audience, a fulsome vote of thanks was proposed by Dr
David Hannay.
