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Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Laughil (rathcline By.)

Fairy fort / stone ringfort

What is recorded here

Laughil holds a fake ringfort: quarry men dumped rubble around exposed rock, built no gate, and left a broken oval that people still call a fairy fort. The real oddity is that taking stone from the earth can make a shape that looks like a fortress, while the true boundary disappears.
On a gentle NW-facing slope, in pasture with outcropping rock; good views in all directions. An old disused quarry lies immediately to the N. Not indicated on the 1837 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. A raised oval area (c. 49m NNW-SSE; c. 42m ENE-WSW) is enclosed by a rubble wall (Wth 2-3m; H 0.2-0.5m) consisting of small stones and larger blocks. There is no trace of a fosse and the original entrance is not recognisable. Outcropping rock protrudes from the surface of the interior, most notably in the S half. The enclosing element appears to be the result of dumping quarried rubble in a low heap on top of naturally occurring outcropping rock. There is no clear evidence of any courses in the enclosing wall and no convincing evidence for any internal or external wall-facing. The interior, which is densely overgrown with scrub, is bisected by a NE-SW stone wall. The remains of other walls are also visible. Possible houses (LF022-023002-; LF022-023003-) are evident in the centre and at S and both appear to be of 19th-century date. Several small cairns of loosely piled stones located in the S half appear to be the result of quarrying. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 16 January 2012

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
No visible remains or recorded as destroyed

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