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

  SM13637_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600002911)

Summary

Description

The monument is a prehistoric settlement consisting of a number of round houses and structures with related field systems and  clearance cairns. The settlement is likely to date to the Iron Age (between 500 BC and AD 500). The monument is located in the Strath of Kildonan, on a gentle southwest facing slope and lies approximately 125m above sea level.

The settlement comprises at least six round houses that survive up to 1.2m in height, constructed of a mixture of earth and stone. The round houses are mostly sub-circular in plan with a diameter ranging from 6m to 13.5m; wall thicknesses vary between 1.5m and 3m. Two round houses have evidence for an attached souterrain; one within or adjacent to the wall of a hut circle and another just outside the entrance to a round house. The remains of field systems are found across the site and consists lynchets, banks and small clearance cairns. There is evidence for at least three sub-rectangluar plots at the north of the site. Further south on the site lies a sub-square plot which appears to overlie lynchets that echo the field system to the north. Numerous clearance cairns are found across the site and are up to 7m in diameter and up to 0.7m in height. A sheepfold, circular in plan and dating to the 19th century, stands in the centre of the site.

The scheduled area is an irregular polygon, to include the remains described above and an area in which evidence for their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the attached map. The scheduling excludes the post-and-wire fence, telegraph poles, modern field drains and the above ground elements of the sheepfold.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an example of a well-preserved Iron Age settlement which has evidence for domestic structures and their associated field systems. It has an inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular the design, construction and use of round houses and field systems in northern Scotland and the Sutherland region. It is expected that nationally important archaeological remains will survive within and immediately outside the structures. The possible remains of a later wag demonstrates the likelihood of a substantial time-depth at the site. Its value is enhanced as one of a group of monuments in a remote upland landscape with possibly contemporary sites in close proximity. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand late prehistoric domestic buildings in Scotland and the relationship between other Iron Age and earlier settlements.

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.