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

  SM5826_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600011723)

Summary

Description

This monument comprises a rectilinear ditched enclosure and a circular palisaded enclosure represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs. The two enclosures occupy undulating land between 210 and 220m OD in an area dominated by a major later prehistoric hillfort, the Castles, 350m to the SW.

The rectilinear ditched enclosure lies on locally high ground with open outlooks. It is defined by a broad ditch, approximately 6-7m wide and enclosing an area of some 60m NW-SE by a minimum of 50m. Three sides of the enclosure are visible as cropmarks but the remaining, NE, side is not visible on the photographs due to differential crop cover. There is no break in the visible portions of the ditch.

The interior of the enclosure is dominated by a dense, dark cropmark of "figure-of-eight" plan which may represent the remains of internal buildings and their associated deposits. To the E of the ditched enclosure, on level, lower-lying ground, are the remains of a circular, palisaded enclosure some 40m in diameter. There are no indications of an entrance or of internal deposits.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features and an area around them in which traces of associated deposits may be expected to survive. It is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 290m E-W by 155m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of prehistoric settlement and economy. The rectilinear enclosure is of a type thought to date to the period of the Roman incursions into Scotland. The internal deposits of this enclosure will provide important information on house construction and spatial patterning of domestic and economic activities in this period. Its relationship with the adjacent palisaded enclosure will provide evidence for the relationships between these two distinctive forms of later prehistoric settlement.

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.