Scheduled Monument

Roer Water,house 300m E of NW end of lochSM6029

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
28/06/1994
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: house
Local Authority
Shetland Islands
Parish
Northmaven
NGR
HU 33697 86576
Coordinates
433697, 1186576

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a prehistoric house, somewhat altered by later rebuilding, in a small valley in deep peat to the N of Roer Water. The remains were revealed by peat clearance and limited excavation in 1902.

The monument, located at over 110m above sea-level on the barren moors of North Roe, consists of the ruined walls of a small house built of granite blocks. It is an irregular oval with two side-cells, one of which was lintelled. To the N of the remains is a cicular shelter, itself now ruined, built out of the remains of the prehistoric structure.

The entrance was on the SE side, facing the nearby loch, but has been overlain by a later shelter. There are slight traces of walls running under the edges of the surrounding peat, which may represent contemporary fields.

The area to be scheduled is irregular, bounded on the SW by the shore of the loch. It measures a maximum of 70m NE-SW by 45m, to include the house and an area around it in which traces of activities associated with its construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an example of extremely marginal prehistoric settlement, which has the potential, through excavation and analysis, to provide important information about the nature and economic basis of life at the limits of prehistoric settlement.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HU 38 NW 3.

References:

Munro, R. and Abercromby, J (1904) Notes on primitive stone structures of the beehive type, discovered by R C Haldane, Esq., in the north of Shetland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol. 38, 551-7.

RCAHMS (1946) Inventory of Orkney and Shetland, 92-3, No. 1356.

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.

Images

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Printed: 05/11/2026 07:00