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

  SM12352_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014220)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a burial cairn of probable neolithic or Bronze-Age date and the possible remains of a later hut circle. It survives as a large, grass-covered earth-and-stone mound with a superimposed penannular-shaped feature on its southern half. The cairn is located above the northern river terrace overlooking the River Don, west-north-west of Hatton of Fintry. It sits in a woodland clearing surrounded by mature conifers at approximately 80m above sea level.

The cairn measures approximately 12m in diameter and is approximately 1m high. It is circular on plan with a roughly crescent-shaped feature and depression at its southern end. A possible hut circle overlies the cairn, visible as a roughly circular setting of boulders, with an entrance on the SE.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the cairn, to include the remains described and an area around within which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics

This cairn survives with its structural detail intact, and a crescent-shaped feature that overlies and obscures the southern half of the mound. Researchers think that the semi-circular feature is the remains of a later house built onto the cairn and this provides an interesting glimpse into the possible reuse of such monuments. The mound is likely to seal one or more burials and may overlie a prehistoric land surface containing environmental evidence. It therefore has the potential to tell us about the architecture of burial monuments and their reuse, the practice of burial and commemorating the dead, and the local environment when the cairn was constructed.

Contextual characteristics

The monument belongs to a numerous and widespread group of prehistoric monuments. It represents the prehistoric exploitation of this part of NE Scotland and, as one of under 100 surviving examples, is an important indicator for the scale of settlement and activity that took place here. The River Don appears to be a central feature of this exploitation and the probable views from the cairn (now obscured by modern forestry) toward the river and to other similar monuments would suggest that the site was deliberately chosen because of its views. The cairn can therefore help us understand more about prehistoric burial along the margins of river systems such as Strathdon, and the wider exploitation of land by Bronze-Age communities.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular prehistoric burial architecture and the positioning in the landscape of monuments commemorating the dead in relation to other monuments and natural features. It survives with a significant proportion of its structure intact and is likely to seal important buried deposits relating to its construction and original use. With a possible later domestic structure overlying the cairn, it gives us an unusual and intriguing insight into the adaption and reuse of burial monuments. The loss of the monument would impede our ability to understand the nature of prehistoric activity in this part of 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.

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.