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

  SM4553_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600002944)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the earthwork remains of an enclosed settlement. This type of settlement was built during the later first millennium BC to the early first millennium AD. Within the interior of the monument and at its NE end there is evidence of quarrying activity. The monument is located on a knoll 150m above sea level on a very slight N-facing slope 200m north-east of Westerside Farm. The monument was first scheduled on 28 July 1988 and is being rescheduled after improvements in the available mapping.

The monument survives as a series of well-preserved stony banks, up to around 0.5m high, forming a heart-shaped enclosure in plan, within which are two circular structures. There is an entrance in the SE arc of the site. The extent of the visible remains measures 47m NE-SW by about 50m transversely. 600m to the north is precipitous coastline at Moorburn Beach where the Moor Burn drains into the North Sea and Coldingham Loch lies 300m to the east. The monument itself lies wholly within rough grazing.

An unattributed statement within the RCAHMS record suggests the site is associated with the later Westerside Steading but there are no obvious remains of any later features, apart from the quarry, on the knoll.

The area to be scheduled is irregular in plan, to include the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed of as followed:

Intrinsic characteristics

The monument is a well-preserved example of an enclosed settlement, likely to date to the late first millennium BC or early first millennium AD. Although there has been some quarrying activity, buried deposits within the interior may preserve evidence relating to the social structure and economy of people who built and used this monument. The two circular structures will also preserve evidence of domestic architecture of the period and potentially associated activities. Potential also exists for buried soils beneath the upstanding elements, which are likely to contain evidence relating to the environment in which the monument was constructed.

Contextual characteristics

The monument is located upon a knoll with good views in all directions, except to the south, and is part of the extensive and well-preserved prehistoric landscape around St Abb's Head. The monument has the capacity to contribute towards a better understanding of later prehistoric settlement in this area and within a wider context. Research within this region indicates that this type of settlement is constructed after about 500 BC and sometimes succeeds earlier, palisaded enclosures. This monument has the potential to further inform such research. The surrounding area is particularly rich in sites of a similar, and later, date, many of which are in similar sites on knolls and ridges. Comparison with such sites may enhance our understanding of settlement pattern, land allocation and landscape development, as well as Iron-Age economy and the structure of society. Information gathered from the preservation and study of this site can be used to gain an insight into the wider knowledge of Iron-Age enclosed settlement across Scotland and further afield.

Associative characteristics

The knoll is reported to be the site of the Westerside Steading.

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 a type of settlement that characterises the wider Iron-Age domestic landscape. It forms an intrinsic element of the later prehistoric settlement pattern along the Berwickshire coast. The monument and associated artefacts have the potential to tell us about wider prehistoric society, its architecture, the ways in which people lived, their origins and with whom they interacted. Archaeological deposits and buried soils preserved within the monument may provide information about the contemporary environment and land use. Spatial analysis of sites may inform our understanding of patterns of landholding and the development of settlement through time. Its loss would impede our ability to comprehend and appreciate the later prehistoric landscape and society within this area and across 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.