Documents

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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

  SM5092_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600010996)

Summary

Description

This monument consists of a group of prehistoric hut circles associated with possible evidence for contemporary land use and three post medieval shieling buildings. Hut 'A' (ND11953041) is a hut circle which is set into a slope and measures about 14.5m E-W by 13m N-S. The wall is spread to about 2.5m wide and is 0.5m high. Intruding on the S part of the hut are the foundations of a rectangular shieling building which is about 7 by 3m.

Traces of a turf-covered wall extend for about 90m to the E of this hut. Hut 'B' is in a level but elevated location and measures 10.5 by 9.5m within a wall spread from 3.5 to 4.5m in width and up to 0.9m high. The entrance is to the SE. Possible traces of a rectangular shieling survive within this hut. Hut 'C' is set on a spur which projects into marshy ground; it measures about 7m in diameter.

The entrance is to the E and there is a lining slab to the N of the entrance. Foundations of a rectangular shieling building, about 6m by 3m are visible just S of this hut. At ND11923042 are the remains of a possible field clearance cairn and at ND11823028 are traces of another possible structure of uncertain form.

The area between these structures is smoothed and flat and this probably indicates cultivation at the time of the occupation of the round huts. The area to be scheduled measures 280 E-W by 230 N-S, to include the hut circles, cairn, length of walling and shieling buildings, as shown in red on the attached map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance for its potential to contribute to an understanding of prehistoric and post medieval settlement and land use. The prehistoric hut circles contain information on the architecture of round houses. The shielings incorporate evidence about process of summer pasturing which was a vital part of the medieval and post medieval economy in Highland 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.

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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.