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

  SM11740_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014082)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a sub-circular ditched enclosure with evidence of internal features, visible only as a cropmark, situated in a field 300m south-west of the farm at Hurkledale. Likely to be of Iron Age date, we can interpret the enclosure as the remains of a later prehistoric farming settlement: house(s), agricultural building(s), area(s) for keeping animals and undertaking other activities surrounded by an enclosing bank and ditch.

The enclosure measures approximately 60m NE/SW, and 50m NW/SE, with the cropmark indicating the ditch to be up to 3m wide, with an entrance to the NNE. A large dark mark in the interior may be the remains of a scooped yard where animals could be kept. Nothing is visible on the ground, except that the level of the field where the enclosure sits is lower than the rest of the field.

The area to be scheduled is a clipped circle, centred on the middle of the enclosure, to include the enclosure and an area around it within which evidence relating to its construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area extends up to, but does not include, the fence to the SE of the monument.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

As a negative (buried) feature visible in the form of a cropmark on a range of aerial photographs, the enclosure is a good example of a univallate defended settlement that includes evidence of internal features. It is likely that a bank would have lain inside of the ditch, and potential exists for a buried soil to be preserved both beneath the ploughed-out remains of the bank and within the ditch, providing evidence of the environment within which the settlement was built. The scooped yard may provide evidence of Iron-age farming life, through the preservation of deposits relating to agricultural practices. Lack of subsoiling and infrequent ploughing indicates that there is potential for the preservation of archaeological features and artefacts relating to the construction and occupation of the site.

Contextual characteristics

This enclosure has the capacity to contribute towards a better understanding of univallate settlements, particularly those sited in low lying undefendable areas. Most similar enclosures in eastern Dumfries and Galloway tend to be built along the sides of valleys. Comparing and contrasting the enclosure to other nearby examples (as scooped enclosures tend to lie in close proximity to each other) can enable an understanding of how such sites are positioned within the landscape, as well as provide contexts for economy and society.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular the types of settlement that characterise the wider Iron Age domestic landscape. They form an intrinsic element of the later prehistoric settlement pattern along the Solway Firth. Domestic remains and artefacts from settlements have the potential to tell us about wider prehistoric society, its architecture, how people lived, where they came from, who they had contacts with, and provide evidence of native-Roman interaction. Archaeological deposits preserved within the ditches and scooped yard may provide information about what the contemporary environment looked like, and how prehistoric farmers used it. Spatial analysis of sites may inform our understanding of patterns of landholding and the expansion of settlement. Its loss would impede our ability to understand the placing of such monuments (particularly those in low lying undefendable locations) within the landscape both in eastern Dumfries and Galloway and across Scotland, as well as our knowledge of Iron Age social structure, economy, and building practices.

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.