Enclosure - large enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Oblique aerial photograph from the Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs (CUCAP AOY093) dating from the late 1960s, taken from the north-east, the site of Doon Castle with the circular earthwork (WM024-010----) around it, is in clear view. The possible large enclosure is visible at background left, where it appears as an oval-shaped field, its slightly rounded profile raised somewhat above the surrounding land. The OS 6-inch and 25-inch maps of 1838 and 1913 show the outline of a possible large oval enclosure at Duneel, the curving double-line at top of the 1838 map mirrors the curving crop/grass mark on the aerial photograph.  The approximate dimensions of the possible enclosure are 255m north-south by 110m east-west, and as the 25-inch map indicates, it covers an area of approximately 5.8 acres (2.34 hectares). The large oval field may be no more than a natural drumlin delimited by a field boundary: it is notable that it has roughly the same footprint and orientation as Duneel Hill, 1km to the north-west. But for the curving double-line on the 1838 OS map, it is in many respects unremarkable.

 

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on report submitted by archaeologist, Paul Gosling.

 

Date of Compilation: 10 November 2025

References

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com