Monument record MHG10859 - Castle Hill, Clyne

NC80SE 26 8952 0369.
At NW corner of Castle Hill, a natural knoll, is a small motte with the hill itself probably being the bailey.
The motte is sub-circular in plan, bounded on N and W by steep natural slopes and in S and E by a semi-circular dry ditch, 0.8m deep and 7m wide. Spoil from ditch has been thrown inwards to form a mound 1m high above natural ground level and approx 10m diameter. The shape of the mound is rendered indistinct by soil slip on N side, by old excavations or surface quarrying and by displaced tree stumps.
Castle Hill is a steep-sided grave "island" standing 8m above river terrace of River Brora. Originally it formed part of raised beach but river action has eroded it to its present shape. Its perfectly flat summit measures 150m E-W by an average of 40m N-S. Apart from a modern ditch there is no trace of any structures on hill or of a bank or ditch around the rim, but the natural defences are so strong that artificial scarping was probably unnecessary. There is a complete absence of local tradition or documentary evidence concerning an early castle on Castle Hill.
Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 2 February 1976.