Scheduled Monument

Craig Hill,fort and brochSM3038

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
28/12/1971
Last Date Amended
31/10/1994
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: broch; fort (includes hill fort and promontory fort)
Local Authority
Angus
Parish
Murroes
NGR
NO 43274 35858
Coordinates
343274, 735858

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a broch and fort of prehistoric date surviving partially as a series of grassed-over stone structures and earthworks, and partially as cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The monument lies on Craig Hill at around 130m OD and commands extensive views over the surrounding area. The broch occupies the W and highest part of the site. It is represented by a wall some 5m wide enclosing an area some 12m in diameter with an E-facing entrance. About 16m E of the broch is an outwork comprising a substantial rampart which rises some 2m from the base of the accompanying ditch. A causeway across the ditch provides access

opposite the broch entrance. These features lie within a potentially earlier multivallate fort represented by a single upstanding rampart on the N and by a series of four curving cropmark ditches on the gentle E approach to the site which is now under cultivation. The rampart is difficult to trace on the S and W where natural topography

is such that a substantial rampart may not have been required.

At least three hut circles can be traced on a terrace N of the broch and numerous other irregularities in the interior may represent the remains of further buildings.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible remains and an area around them in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 280m E-W

by 150m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of the nature and development of defended settlement in the later prehistoric period. The complexity of the monument, the apparent sequence of distinct types of defended settlement and the survival of internal buildings all greatly enhance its importance.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NO43NW 22.

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: 29/03/2024 08:51