Dùn Morbhaidh, also known as Dun Borbaidh, is a hill fort located on the

Inner Hebridean The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

island of Coll. The early 20th century

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Erskine Beveridge considered it as one of the four most interesting fortifications on Coll (along with

Dùn an Achaidh Dùn an Achaidh, sometimes Anglicised as Dun Acha, is a dun located near the village of Acha on the Inner Hebridean island of Coll. It is considered the best preserved dun on the island. The site of Dùn an Achaidh is located at . According to ...

Dùn Anlaimh Dùn Anlaimh, also known as Dùn Amhlaidh, and Eilean nan Cinneachan, is a crannog (an artificial island), located within Loch nan Cinneachan on the Inner Hebridean island of Coll. Upon the crannog there are the remains of walls and several build ...

, and

Dùn Dubh Dùn Dubh is a hillfort, located on the Inner Hebridean island of Coll. The fort is one of three associated with a local tradition which states that they were once the fortresses of Norsemen before being defeated by a Maclean chieftain. The early ...

). The site is located at .

Etymology

The early 20th century antiquary

Erskine Beveridge Erskine Beveridge FRSE FSAScot (27 December 1851 – 10 August 1920) was a Scottish textile manufacturer, historian and antiquary. He was the owner of Erskine Beveridge & Co. Ltd., which had been founded by his father in 1832 and was the larg ...

stated his opinion that the correct name for Dùn Morbhaidh was ''Dun Borbaidh''; and in consequence, the name which appeared on maps was probably incorrect. He stated that the fort takes its name from the nearby Eilean Borbaidh, and Traigh Bhorbaidh; and that the local pronunciation was "Borow", or "Borive". Beveridge noted that "Borive" resembles several other Hebridean placenames; and that it appeared to be derived from the Norse language ''borg''.

Location

Dùn Morbhaidh is located northeast of Gallanach, on Coll. The site is located at .

Description

Dùn Morbhaidh sits atop a craggy hill, close to the shore. The highest part of the site is located on the west-side and the summit; and measures about . This part is guarded on the western side by a wall, which only traces of survive. Two short lengths of the outer face of this wall are visible, and stand at a maximum height of , in three courses. The eastern half of the hill is made up of a series of slopes, terraces, and outcrops. There is visible evidence of the remains of two more walls. The medial wall is, for the most part, placed around a terrace; though it also appears in a narrow gap on the northern part of the same terrace. The outer wall is located around the foot of the hill and faces level ground. Only traces of this wall are visible: on one side of the entrance, and an outer stretch of facing stones are also visible.

Archaeological finds

Beveridge found the remains of

midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

material, small rounded pebbles, and the abundance of hammerstones (many of which were broken) at the site. He also found several examples of potsherd decorated with incised patterns and finger-impressed cordons. Beveridge considered that some of the finds had been subjected to fire; in his mind, similar to the foundations he described at

. Two of the potsherds bear the incised figures of deer; and are currently kept in the

National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture of Scotland, culture and History of Scotland, history, and the ...

. According to Richard Hingley, potsherd decorated with figures of deer have been found in a number of archaeological sites in the Hebrides (on Bragar, Lewis; Kilpheder, South Uist; Galson, Lewis; and Dùn Morbhaidh). Hingley stated that this would seem to indicate an importance of hunting in some of the Iron Age communities in the Western Isles. The site was visited, in 1972, by the Ordnance Survey, which noted that the site was "probably a dun with

outwork An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...

s". No trace of any midden was found on the site. In 1995, M. W. Holley found some potsherd on the site, located at .

Tradition

Beveridge stated that there was no tradition associated with the fort itself, though he noted that one concerned a cave beneath it. This cave was to have extended from its entrance, on the rocky shore, to far inland. According to Beveridge, the cave was said to have been the scene of a massacre of many natives of the area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dun Morbhaidh Archaeological sites in the Northern Inner Hebrides Coll Former populated places in Scotland Hill forts in Scotland