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

  SM10872_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013797)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a dun, a fortification of late prehistoric date, set on a rocky knoll overlooking the S end of Loch Awe.

A stone-faced, rubble-cored rampart about 4m thick encloses a roughly D-shaped area measuring about 16m N-S by 13m E-W. Two stretches of outer wall-face plus several stones of the inner wall-face are visible, but generally the details of the plan are obscured by tumbled stone The entrance has been on the NE side, where a possible door-jamb survives on the NW side of the line of the entrance passage. The interior has various irregularities, but it is not possible, on surface inspection, to determine if these are natural or represent the remains of internal constructions. A small modern cairn surmounts the dun wall on the SE side. Outside, various field walls run towards the dun over the naturally terraced hillside, but these all appear to be of relatively recent date.

The significance of the location in strategic terms is great, commanding as it does the point at which travellers from the SW, particularly the Kilmartin area, would have transferred between foot or horse and boats on the waters of Loch Awe. This significance is underlined by the nearby Medieval towerhouse at Caol Chaorann.

The area to be scheduled is an irregular oval, measuring a maximum of 45m between its most northerly and its most southerly points and a maximum of 40m transversely, as shown on the accompanying map extract. This includes the dun and a small area outside its walls in which evidence relating to its construction and occupation is likely to survive.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a small fortification of late prehistoric date. It appears never to have been seriously excavated, and has good potential for the preservation of occupation deposits. It also gains importance from its location at the N end of the extensive suite of monuments of many periods in the valley running N from Kilmartin, at a junction of natural routeways.

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.