The hilltop enclosure on Cluny Hill, Forres: description, destruction, disappearance

Abstract

This report addresses the documented history of a fortified enclosure on Cluny Hill in Forres, Moray. It reviews the published evidence to date, finding it to be both limited and and often unreliable. Three primary sources are established in Pococke (1887), Chalmers (1907) and Algie (1887). Additional evidence is identified in the Chalmers Archive (National Library of Scotland) and 19th century press reports. These reinforce the claim of a significant earthwork being visible c. 1800, extensively modified through construction of paths, and memorialised by the planting of yew trees in 1846. This information is compared with the current state of the hill through LIDAR and direct visual inspection. Extensive ditch-like depressions and yew trees are found to correspond closely with the historical testimony. The process by which a probable enclosure was both partially destroyed and obscured by the creation of a wooded parkland is documented. The report concludes with brief reflections on interpretation and recommends further non-invasive survey.