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

  SM13451_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014510)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric enclosure dating probably to the Neolithic period or Bronze Age (between around 4000 and 1000 BC). It is clearly visible from the air on oblique aerial photographs and can be traced on the ground intermittently as a low earth bank, about 0.5m high. The enclosure is approximately 70m in external diameter, and the bank is 3-4m wide on average, though spread up to 6m wide in places. No entrance is discernible. The interior has two raised areas: in the SSW, a low mound approximately 15m in diameter abuts the enclosing bank; and in the E, a low circular mound is surmounted by an Ordnance Survey triangulation station. The monument occupies the summit of Hundland Hill at around 100m above sea level, on the isthmus between the Loch of Swannay and the Loch of Hundland, with excellent views in all directions.

The scheduled area is circular on plan, 90m in diameter, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of the triangulation station to allow for its maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of prehistoric society, specifically, the nature and function of hilltop enclosures, which are relatively rare in Orkney. The monument survives to a marked degree with its earthen bank visible on the ground for most of the circuit. Its hilltop position and the benign nature of later land-use are likely to have preserved important archaeological evidence: the discovery of cramp in the enclosing bank demonstrates this potential. The significance of the monument is enhanced by its hilltop location overlooking a landscape rich in broadly contemporary, funerary and ritual monuments. Our understanding of the form, function and distribution of prehistoric enclosures would be diminished if this monument was to be lost or damaged.

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.