Scheduled Monument

Newton of Petty, prehistoric settlement 350m WNW ofSM11835

Status: Designated

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.

Summary

Date Added
21/03/2007
Last Date Amended
07/10/2016
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: hut circle, roundhouse; settlement (if not assigned to any more specific type)
Local Authority
Highland
Parish
Petty
NGR
NH 73437 48731
Coordinates
273437, 848731

Description

The monument is the remains of an unenclosed settlement dating to between 1800 BC and AD 400. The settlement lies buried beneath the ploughsoil and is visible as cropmarks captured on oblique aerial photographs. The monument lies at about 20m above sealevel on a slight ridge of higher ground close to the south shore of the Moray Firth.

Numerous dark crescent- and disc-shaped marks indicate the locations of at least nine densely grouped roundhouses, some immediately adjacent to and overlying one another, probably representing structures of different dates. The roundhouses measure approximately 13m to 14m in diameter.

The scheduled area is circular on plan measuring 100m in diameter, and includes the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The monument was first scheduled in 2007, but the area did not cover all of the monument: the present amendment rectifies this.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a dense concentration of roundhouses with high potential to make a significant addition to our knowledge and understanding of prehistoric rural settlement and economy in Scotland. The number and density of structures preserved here is rare and the dark crescent- and disc-shaped marks indicate the presence of relatively deep and robust remains, with potential to retain well-preserved structural features, archaeological deposits and environmental evidence. The monument offers high potential to compare settlement form, function and character over a long time period and its importance is enhanced by its association with other unenclosed settlements and enclosures on the banks of the Moray Firth. Our understanding of the distribution and character of later prehistoric settlements would be diminished if this monument was to be lost or damaged.

References

Bibliography

Aerial photographs accessible through CANMORE: http://canmore.org.uk/ CANMORE ID 14214

Aerial photographs:

RCAHMS 1977 IN 3092; IN 3093; IN 3094.

RCAHMS 1992: C64; C65; C66; C67; C68.

RCAHMS 1995: C 53596; C 53595; C 98288 CS; C 98283; C 53590; C 53591; C 53592; C 98280 CS; C 98281 CS; C 98282 CS; C 53592 S.

Highland Council HER/SMR Reference: MHG2937

References:

RCAHMS 1979, The archaeological sites and monuments of north-east Inverness, Inverness District, Highland Region. The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series No. 8, Edinburgh, 19, No. 125.

Tolan M 1988, Pit circles in Scotland: some possible interpretations, bound transcript: dissertation presented to the University of Newcastle, January 1988, 69, Nos. 10-11.

HER/SMR Reference

  • http://her.highland.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MHG2937

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.

Images

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Printed: 28/03/2024 18:29