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

  SM13448_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014508)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a complex of enclosures and banks on the summit of Billia Fiold, representing the remains of an upland settlement dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 1800 and 800 BC). The well-preserved remains of numerous features are visible amidst heather and peat moorland over an area of approximately 0.5 hectares. A linear earth and stone bank running approximately NNE-SSW measures 3m wide and stands 0.2m high; it can be traced over a distance of at least 150m, fading out towards the lower slopes. This bank is situated immediately NW of several natural terraces which may have been used as platforms for buildings. Three groups of enclosures exploit the terraces. A sub-circular enclosure with an internal diameter of 26m, defined by a bank 3m wide and 0.2m high, adjoins and is roughly halfway along the linear bank. At its SW corner is a circular platform, 8m in diameter, which is defined by a low bank 0.6m wide and 0.1m high. To the NE, there is a cluster of two circular platforms, both 6m diameter and 0.6m deep, terraced into the slope, and a third, sub-rectangular platform, 13.3m NNW to SSE by 5.2m transversely. Of these, the second platform resembles a hut circle, its interior slightly hollowed, emphasising a low lip running around its circumference from NW to NE. Further scoops and terraces exist to the NNE and SW of the large enclosure, one of which may be evidence of a quarry. The monument lies at an altitude of around 55m above sea level, with the Burn of Cruland 200m to the E.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction and use is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved group of features forming part of a relict prehistoric landscape with high potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past. In particular, the monument has the potential to add to our understanding of upland settlement, agriculture and economy in the Bronze Age. The features at Billia Fiold are unusually diverse, including platforms and enclosures of different types, as well as field boundaries. As demonstrated at other sites in northern Scotland (such as Lairg in Sutherland), there is high potential for the survival of important archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence within the soil and peat deposits at Billia Fiold. This can enhance our understanding of the dating and development sequence of the site, the functions of the different elements and the relationships between them, and of changes in the landscape and environment in Orkney during prehistory. Due to more recent changes in land-use, the survival of prehistoric upland rural settlements is very rare in Orkney, which adds to the importance of the site at Billia Fiold. The loss of the monument would affect our ability to understand the development of agricultural practices and rural settlement in prehistoric Orkney, and the significant changes that occurred as the climate changed in northern 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.