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

  SM11561_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014032)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises of the remains of two hut circles, visible as upstanding walls located on Essich Moor. The hut circles are likely to be Late Bronze Age or Iron Age, dating to the first or second millennium BC. They lie on a low ridge, at 210-15m OD, 1030m SSE of Achvraid.

The W hut circle measures around 10m in diameter, including walls spread to 2m thick and measuring up to 0.3m in height. The S arc includes some outer facing stones and a natural boulder. The E hut circle measures 14m in diameter, including banks 1.5 m wide; tractor marks cross it. Both have entrances in the eastern arc.

The area to be scheduled comprises two circles on plan, each centred on a hut circle, to include the remains described and an area around in which evidence for their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling excludes the above-ground elements of the stob and wire fence that crosses the W hut circle, to allow for its maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics: The monument is a well-preserved example of two later prehistoric roundhouses with upstanding remains dating to the first or second millennium BC. Given the site's current use as pasture, it is likely that archaeologically significant deposits relating to the construction, use and abandonment of the structures remain in situ. In addition, it is likely that deposits survive that could provide data relating to the later prehistoric environment.

The site has considerable potential to enhance understanding of later prehistoric roundhouses and the daily lives of the people who occupied them.

Contextual characteristics: The monument is a good representative of a once common class. Several other hut circle sites lie within 1km of this monument, and together these elements have the potential to provide a better understanding of how later prehistoric society was structured.

National Importance: The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular Bronze or Iron Age society and the nature of later prehistoric domestic practice. Its good preservation and the survival of marked field characteristics enhance this potential. The loss of the example would significantly impede our ability to understand later prehistory in northern Scotland.

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.