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

  SM11453_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013972)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a burnt mound, located to the W side of a burn on the upper slopes of a wide valley. A track passes immediately to the WNW of the mound.

The mound is composed of cracked stone, black soil and charcoal, and is C-shaped in plan. It measures 9 m from N to S by 7 m transversely, and up to 1 m in height. The open side of the mound faces towards the burn.

A burnt mound is normally formed of charcoal, heat-cracked stones and black earth that has built up around a hearth and central trough. In northern Scotland they tend to date to the Bronze Age, but in SW Scotland, as in Ireland, many belong to the first millennium AD. In the Northern Isles they can be associated with houses. Interpretations vary enormously, but many burnt mounds, such as this, may be cooking places related to hunting or herding.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the burnt mound, to include the burnt mound and an area around in which evidence for its construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The track is to be excluded from the scheduling, to allow for its maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: This monument is a well-preserved archaeological site with upstanding remains that are typical of its class. There is a high likelihood of associated well-preserved sub-surface remains. It has a typical location for this class of monument, situated adjacent to a stream. It has the potential to provide information about socio-economic structures of the prehistoric or early historic communities that built them, as well as about the environments in which they lived, farmed, gathered and hunted.

Contextual characteristics: This class of monument is fairly well represented in Highland. However, this example is marked by its good state of preservation and high upstanding remains.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it is a particularly well-preserved example of this monument type in an area where they appear to have largely been damaged by subsequent landuse. It is also a typical representative of its class. This monument has the potential to answer questions about local forms of burnt mounds and answer specific questions about local communities, how they lived and interacted with the world and people around them. The loss of this example would restrict the ability to study these interactions.

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.