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

  SM10696_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013743)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a dun visible as upstanding remains. Duns are fortified settlements of Iron Age date (around 500 BC to AD 500).

The monument occupies the summit of an elongated knoll near the E margin of Kellan Wood at about 40m OD. At the SE end of the knoll there is a precipitous rock-face, and on the NE flank the ground falls steeply over grassy slopes to the right bank of a nameless stream 9m below. On all other sides, however, the knoll may be approached with relative ease.

The dun is roughly oval on plan and measures about 13.5m NNW-SSE by 10.5m transversly, within a severely reduced wall. A number of inner and outer facing stones can be seen on the NW, where the wall is about 3.6m thick, and the inner face stands 0.7m high in three courses. Elsewhere the wall has been reduced to a low moss-covered band of tumbled core material.

There are two possible entrances, one on the N, indicated by a slight gap in the rubble, and the other on the SSE, where a natural gully leads up onto the summit of the knoll. The interior is obscured by a mass of wall debris. On the outer edge of the roughly triangular shelf NW of the dun, there are traces of an outer wall.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material is likely to survive. It is sub-oval in shape, with maximum dimension of 62m NNW-SSE by 47m transversely, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to an understanding of later prehistoric defended settlement and economy. Its importance is increased by its proximity to other monuments of potentially contemporary date.

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.