Didn’t those ancient walls of Dalmahoy Hill Fort have stories to tell? This place we’re at is more than just a hill. Dalmahoy Hill Fort is a window into Midlothian’s distant past.
Dalmahoy Hill rises modestly in the west of Midlothian. It sits between Balerno and Kirknewton. This craggy, uneven hill holds secrets of the Iron Age. Here, you’ll find the remains of an Iron Age hill fort. Kaimes Hill, its adjacent twin, also has a fort.
These isolated hills reach impressive heights. Kaimes is at 820 feet. Dalmahoy Hill stands at 817 feet. Their strategic position commands a broad view. They oversee the west of the Lothians.
Dating Dalmahoy Hill Fort has proven difficult. The works suggest two distinct ages. Some are pre-Roman. Others are possibly post-Roman.
Initially, stone walls enclosed the hill. They defended a large area. It measured 1,200 feet by 400 feet. The hill’s steep northwest flank provided additional defense. Later, an oval enclosure was built on the summit. It measures 140 feet by 85 feet.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland suggests a post-Roman date for this second phase. It fits a pattern of monuments overlying pre-Roman forts.
Within Dalmahoy Hill Fort, you can find a hut circle’s remains. It has an internal diameter of 19 feet. Stones set on edge form an inner facing. The entrance faces east.
Archaeologists found a gold stud-cap in the secondary enclosure at Dalmahoy Hill Fort. They also discovered mould fragments. These artifacts date to the early medieval period. Only excavation can fully solve the mysteries of Dalmahoy Hill Fort.
Dalmahoy Hill Fort’s summit fort is at the heart of outer enclosures. These walls follow natural terraces. They block access up the gullies on the southeast and southwest flanks. The summit fort is oval. It measures about 43 meters from north to south. Transversely, it’s 25 meters. A robbed wall, 3.6 meters thick, encloses it. Surviving sections of the outer face show it was at least 3 meters high. An entrance on the northeast opens onto a terrace. This terrace has traces of walling and an outer entrance.
Robert Stevenson identified the summit fortification as a citadel. It was part of contemporary outer enclosures. This led to the concept of a “nuclear fort”. This term is synonymous with early medieval fortifications.
The wall along the southeast flank is between 2.4 and 3 meters thick. Walls on the west appear less substantial. Stevenson suggested some banks on the southwest flank might be agricultural. Feachem initially accepted this hypothesis. Later, he considered the summit fort a later addition to an earlier Iron Age fort.
Today, the latter hypothesis seems more likely. The earlier fort likely included the summit and ridge to the ENE. One entrance was on the SSE side. It opened into the gully on the east side of the summit. Another entrance might have been at the north end of the gully.
Unlike the Dunion, there are no traces of roundhouses within the enclosures. The structure on the summit might be a robbed cairn.
So, as we stand here at Dalmahoy Hill Fort, remember the people who once called this place home. They defended it against invaders. They built their lives on this very ground. Their stories echo through the ages.