Scheduled Monument
Loedebest,prehistoric settlement and post medieval enclosure 1400m WSWSM5254
Status: Designated
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.
Summary
- Date Added
- 20/01/1992
- Type
- Prehistoric domestic and defensive: field clearance cairn, cairnfield; hut circle, roundhouse; settlement (if not assigned to any more specific type), Secular: enclosure
- Local Authority
- Highland
- Parish
- Latheron
- NGR
- ND 12427 31784
- Coordinates
- 312427, 931784
Description
The monument consists of 3 prehistoric hut circles and traces of associated cultivation on sloping moorland to the S of Dunbeath Water. Hut circle 'A' is located at ND12393179 and is about 9.5m in diameter. The walls that define the hut circle are about 2m wide and 0.5m high and some facing stones are visible on both the inside and outside of the wall. There is a possible entrance to the SE of the hut. Hut 'B' is located at ND12473180 and is about 9m NW-SE by 6.5m SW-NE. The wall is spread to about 1.5m wide and is about 0.5m high.
The entrance to this house is to the SE and 3 large loose stones have been dumped in the entrance presumably after the abandonment of the hut. Hut 'C' is at ND12393178 and was probably originally about 8m in diameter. The N portion of the hut wall has been destroyed at some time in the past by the construction of the track which skirts the settlement to the E. Where it is best preserved the wall of this hut is about 1.7m wide and 0.5m high. The position of the entrance is unclear.
A length of turf-covered stone field wall extends for 20m to the NW of hut 'A' and there are a number of possible stone clearance cairns around these hut circles. To the S of the hut circles an area of land has been cleared of stone and enclosed within a stone wall presumably during the post medieval period. The area to be scheduled measures a maximum of 165m SW-NE by 130m NNW-SSE, to include the prehistoric hut circles, field wall, possible cairns and the post medieval enclosure, as shown in red on the
attached plan.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance for its potential contribution to an understanding of prehistoric settlement and land use. The hut circles incorporate information on the architecture of prehistoric houses. The post medieval enclosure is presumably connected with the important group of abandoned post medieval settlements in Dunbeath Strath.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
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.
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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).
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