Scheduled Monument

Balfarg Farmhouse, henge & standing stones 280m WSW ofSM2184

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
21/12/1951
Last Date Amended
27/08/2013
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: burial(s) (not under barrow/cairn); henge; stone circle or ring
Local Authority
Fife
Parish
Markinch
NGR
NO 28200 3126
Coordinates
328200, 703126

Description

The monument comprises a complex ritual and ceremonial site dating to the Neolithic period (about 4500 BC to 2500 BC). This multi-phase site has produced evidence for a henge, a timber circle, two stone circles in concentric rings, and an inhumation burial, together with evidence for several probable timber palisades. The complex was excavated in the 1970s in advance of a housing development, within which the monument now lies. The visible remains of the site include the enclosure ditch of the henge, two surviving orthostats from the stone circle, and the large slab previously covering the burial. The monument is situated on a low rise at a height of 100m above sea level.

The largest and earliest feature on the site was the henge itself, comprising a substantial ditch with an external bank (the latter no longer visible). Overall, the henge is estimated to have been about 100m in maximum diameter. A berm around 2m wide lay between the bank and the outer lip of the ditch. Unusually, the ditch did not continue around the SW arc of the site, where it appears a natural gully was used to provide the boundary. The ditch itself was about 10m wide and 2m deep at its maximum. The henge was entered across a narrow causeway on the W side. Some time later, a timber circle, around 25m in diameter and formed of at least 15 massive posts, was erected within the henge (now represented on site by short wooden posts); the largest post was sited in the W part of the ring. This was later replaced by two concentric stone circles, an inner and an outer (one stone from each of these remains standing today). The inner stone circle probably comprised 12 stones, each around 14m apart, while the outer circle comprised 24 stones, around 8m apart. The latest identified use of the site was a burial present in the centre (its massive capstone is visible today). The grave contained the skeletal remains of a young adult, buried in a crouched position and accompanied by a handled beaker and flint knife. The excavation also revealed the presence of a number of other features, including a series of potential timber palisades.

The scheduled area is circular on plan to include 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 upper 30cm of the paved areas within the scheduled area are specifically excluded, together with the above-ground elements of all the modern wooden posts in the area, to allow for their maintenance. The site was last scheduled in 1961, but the map was not sufficiently accurate: the present amendment rectifies this.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has the potential to make a significant addition to our knowledge and understanding of prehistoric ritual and funerary monuments and practices. In particular, the Balfarg complex, together with the nearby stone circle at Balbirnie and other sites in their vicinity, form one of the most important groups of monuments of Neolithic and Bronze Age date in eastern Scotland. Parallels and links exist between this site and other contemporary sites across the British Isles. The 1970s excavation has provided extensive information about this type of site, but the complex sequence of construction and the various uses of the site at Balfarg are still not fully understood. Our understanding of the distribution and character of Neolithic ritual spaces and their context would be diminished if this monument was lost or damaged. The loss of the monument would also prevent new techniques being applied in future to resolve some of the unanswered questions.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO20SE 5.

References

Barclay, G and Russell-White, C, 1993 'Excavations in the ceremonial complex of the third millennium BC to the second millennium BC at Balfarg/Balbirnie, Fife', Proc Soc Antiq Scot 123, 43-210.

Mercer, R J, 1981 'The excavation of a late Neolithic henge-type enclosure at Balfarg, Markinch, Fife, Scotland, 1977-78', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 111, 63-171.

Mercer, R J et al, 1988 'The Neolithic henge-type enclosure at Balfarg ' a re-assessment of the evidence for an incomplete ditch circuit', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 118, 61-67.

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.

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Printed: 29/03/2024 14:48