Craig Phadrig (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Phàdraig, meaning Rock of Patrick) is a forested hill on the western edge of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histo ...

, Scotland. A

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- ...

on the summit is generally supposed to have been the base of the

Pict The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

ish king Bridei mac Maelchon (ruled '' circa'' 550–584). The hill rises to above sea level, and overlooks the

Beauly Firth The Beauly Firth ( gd, Linne Fharair) is a firth in northern Scotland. It is the outlet for both the River Beauly and River Ness. The Beauly Firth is bounded at its western end by the town of Beauly and its eastern by Inverness, where it emptie ...

to the north and the mouth of the

River Ness The River Ness (Scottish Gaelic: ''Abhainn Nis'') is a river in Highland, Scotland, UK. It flows from Loch Dochfour, at the northern end of Loch Ness, north-east to the mouth of the Beauly Firth at Inverness, a distance of about , with a fal ...

to the north-east. The hill is currently owned and managed by

Forestry and Land Scotland Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) ( gd, Coilltearachd agus Fearann Alba) is responsible for managing and promoting Scotland's national forest estate: land, predominantly covered in forest, owned by the Scottish Government on behalf of the nation. ...

Craig Phadrig fort

The summit of the hill is occupied by a

vitrified fort Vitrified forts are stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected to vitrification through heat. It was long thought that these structures were unique to Scotland, but they have since been identified in several other parts of western and northe ...

; a stone structure affected by fire to produce a glass-like material. The inner wall of the fort defines an area around , and survives to a height of around . Beyond this is an outer wall and part of a third wall or

hornwork A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of demi-bastions. It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork ...

to the east.

Radiocarbon date Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotope ...

s obtained in the 1970s suggest that the inner wall was constructed in the 4th century. Excavations at this time revealed evidence of Pictish occupation, including metal-working implements and French pottery, dating from the 7th century. The fort is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Bridei and Columba

Craig Phadrig is commonly assumed to have been the site where

St Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

visited the Pictish king Bridei around 565. The event is recorded in

Adomnán Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (, la, Adamnanus, Adomnanus; 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( ; from ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and saint. He was the author of the ''Life of ...

's ''Life of Columba'', in which he describes several encounters between the two. The identification of Craig Phadrig is not universally accepted, and other sites including

Urquhart Castle Urquhart Castle (; gd, Caisteal na Sròine) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, south-west of Inverness and east of the village of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins d ...

and

Inverness Castle Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...

have been suggested.

References

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External links

The Pictish Fort of Craig Phadrig: An Educational Resource
Forestry Commission Scotland Hill forts in Scotland Vitrified forts in Scotland Pictish sites in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland Mountains and hills of Highland (council area) Inverness