Moredun Top Hill Fort - Moncreiffe Hill, Perth & Kinross.
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creg-ny-baa
N 56° 21.862 W 003° 24.133
30V E 475151 N 6246706
Historic information on the Pictish hill fort of Moredun Top on the highest point of Moncreiffe Hill, three miles south-east of the city of Perth.
Waymark Code: WM110PX
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/25/2019
Views: 1
Moncreiffe Hill is a wooded height to the south-east of Perth in Scotland, and was home to two Pictish hill forts 2,000 years ago. The hill is now a popular walking area with laid out trails including one to Moredun Top, the highest point of the hill at 223 metres. An information sign is situated at the foot of the final climb up to the summit. The sign reads as follows:
'Moredun - the great fort
Imagine being an Iron Age chief 2,000 years ago and living on the crest of this hill in a stoutly-built stone and timber citadel protected by monumental defensive walls. Moredun Top was the largest hillfort in the Tay estuary area.
At home on the hill
This fort is vast - as big as two football fields. Archaeologists have uncovered the walls of three successive forts built as impressive symbols of power. At times of conflict, animals would have been brought here from surrounding pastures for safety.
The biggest house found here was roughly circular and about 10m (33ft) across. It was one of many and would have been home to an extended family. Lots of people would gone on living on the lower land.
Moncreiffe Hill - a tribal leaders stronghold
Follow trailheads from the main path and you'll reach the other hill fort on Moncreiffe Hill.
In pursuit of a kingdom
In pictish times, as part of his struggle for control of Southern Pictland, the tribal leader Unust defeated his rival Alpin in a bloody battle here in 728 AD.
Hillforts of the Tay
For almost 2,000 years, from the Iron Age into Pictish times, prehistoric people built forts on Perthshire's hilltops. Their great ramparts were built by tribal leaders to protect their power centres and impress neighbours and visitors. They are great places for energetic walks and spectacular views across Tayside. Download the hillforts leaflet at www.taylp.org
THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME
Moredun is an anglicised form of the Gaelic words Mòr (big) and Dùn (fort) - which is exactly what Moredun was.'
Also on the sign is a large artist's impression of what the fort looked like, and also a photograph of the excavated ramparts in 2017. There also photos of artefacts found during the excavations.
The sign can be found at the western foot of the top and is signposted all the way from the Tay Car Park to the north at the start of the trail.