Chesters Hill Fort is an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
in
East Lothian,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It lies south of
Drem
Drem (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim'') is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland.
It is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh and is close to Haddington (to the south), North Berwick (northeast), Dirleton (north) and Gullane (north west).
It ...
, east of
Ballencrieff Castle, north of
Haddington, and west of
Athelstaneford
Athelstaneford () is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies almost 6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north-east of the market town of Haddington and about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Edinburgh.
Battle of Athelstaneford
According to popul ...
. The name "Chesters" comes from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''castra'', a fortified place.
This fortified village with its system of
rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
s and
ditches
A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...
around a settlement of about twenty
roundhouses is in the care of
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
, who describe it as "one of the best-preserved examples in Scotland of an Iron age fort".
The hillfort was subject to a detailed programme of survey by Rampart Scotland.
Photo gallery
Image:Chesters Hill Fort East Lothian.jpg
Image:Historic Scotland plaque Chesters.jpg
Image:Chesters gate.jpg
Image:Chesters 1.jpg
Image:Chesters 2.jpg
Image:Chesters 3.jpg
Image:Chesters 4.jpg
Image:Chesters 5.jpg
Image:Chesters view BerwickLaw.jpg
See also
*
List of hill forts in Scotland
This article lists a few selected examples of hill forts in Scotland. The remains of at least 1,695 hillforts have been counted throughout the country as a whole, most predominantly on the Scottish mainland, and also including on some o ...
*
List of places in East Lothian
''Map of places in East Lothian compiled from this list''
The List of places in East Lothian is a list for any town, village, hamlet, castle, golf course, historic house, hill fort, lighthouse, nature reserve, reservoir, river, and other place of ...
References
History of East Lothian
Hill forts in Scotland
Former populated places in Scotland
Archaeological sites in East Lothian
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in East Lothian
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