Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM11059_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013857)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a campsite, constructed by soldiers of the Ordnance Survey early in the 19th century as part of the first triangulation of Scotland. It is situated near the summit of Creach Bheinn at around 850m OD in open rocky grassland.

The camp is located in a shallow saddle about NNE of the triangulation station, the two joined by a well-laid footpath. The main structure of the monument is a large windbreak wall about 2.5m high protecting the W side of the camp. A small dry-stone structure around 3.5m square lies on the N side of the camp and represents the only formerly roofed building at the site. This served the joint functions of guard and cook-house. The remainder of the structures at the site consist of a further dry-stone wall on the E side, now ruinous, and four low stone circles representing the footings for tents. Three of the 'tent circles' lie close to the S of the stone building, while a further circle lies closer to the triangulation station. The last may have been the officer's accommodation. Also included in the scheduling are the substantial remains of a circular stone-built platform on which the survey instruments were mounted. This lies to the SSE of the camp and is now surmounted by a concrete pillar of standard mid-twentieth century type.

Such camps are often known as Colby Camps, named after the officer commanding the Ordnance Survey at the time. The nature of the instruments of the period, the need for very precise measurements and the exigencies of Scottish mountain weather frequently necessitated lengthy stays at high altitude (in one extreme case, three months) to complete the measurements required. This survey programme laid the backbone of the mapping system that served Britain until recent advances in satellite and electronic distance measurement.

The area to be scheduled has a figure of eight plan, formed by the junction of two circles, one 100m in diameter and the second 70m in diameter. Within the larger, northern part are the stone building, windbreak walls and three of the stone tent circles. Within the southern part of the area are the triangulation station and the fourth stone tent circle. Both areas include all of the features described plus the original footpath and an area around them in which evidence relating to their construction and occupation is likely to survive. These areas are marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an early 19th-century survey - or Colby - camp, providing one of the main stations for the first Ordnance Survey triangulation of Great Britain. The monument has the potential to provide valuable insight into the early efforts of scientific cartography, and the great importance that was attached to map-making at this time. Such survivals are rare.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.