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

  SM1457_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004205)

Summary

Description

The monument is a substantial broch mound and associated remains dating probably from the Iron Age (between about 600 BC and AD 400). It is visible as a large turf-covered mound, with additional structural remains and occupation debris visible in a coastal section along its N face. The mound measures approximately 22m in diameter and survives to a height of around 2m. Geophysical survey has indicated the presence of substantial features in the area surrounding the broch, including a series of concentric features thought to be ditches and banks, a possible entrance to the SW and a second enclosure surviving as buried remains in the field to the S of the mound). The monument is located on the N coastline of Westray and is under a mixture of sand dune and improved, enclosed pasture land. The monument was first scheduled in 1953, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and includes 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. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all stone dykes and post-and-wire fencing to allow for their maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular of Iron Age society in Orkney and the function, use and development of brochs. Despite the damage caused by coastal erosion and ploughing, a significant proportion of the underlying structure and associated deposits is likely to survive. Within the mound, the broch tower is likely to retain its structural characteristics to a marked degree and may preserve a complex development sequence. There is high potential for the survival of buried archaeological deposits containing occupation debris, artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence that can tell us about how people lived, their trade and exchange contacts and their social status. The importance of the site is enhanced by the presence of significant archaeological features surrounding the broch, probably including defensive ditches and banks, and by its association with the wider landscape of Iron Age brochs and earlier prehistoric settlement in Westray, including the Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement at the nearby Links of Noltland. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the nature of Iron Age society, economy and social hierarchy, both in Orkney and further afield. It would also impede our ability to understand the placing and function of such monuments within the landscape and their relationship with each other and with other types of prehistoric site.

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.