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

  SM671_Legal Doc_Redacted

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600002288)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of a Roman fort and associated enclosure, dating probably to the late 1st -2nd century AD. The fort is visible as a partly upstanding sub-rectangular earthwork, lying entirely within a larger upstanding sub-rectangular enclosure. The monument is located on a valley floor at the confluence of two rivers, the White Esk and the Rae Burn, at around 190m OD, below Lamb Knowe which rises to the NNW. The monument was first scheduled in 1924, and rescheduled in 1961, but the documents did not meet current standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The well-preserved outer enclosure measures approximately 165m N-S by 110m E-W internally. It comprises an upstanding clay-built rampart, approximately 5.5m wide, with a single outer ditch about 5.4m wide. The fort lies entirely within the enclosure and the two are similar in form and both aligned NNW-SSE. The fort measures approximately 73m N-S by 64m E-W internally, within a 6m-wide turf-built rampart and two outer ditches, each 3m wide. The N and S sides of the fort survive as upstanding features; elsewhere, evidence of the defences will survive as buried remains. The enclosure and the fort are both truncated on the W by erosion of the steep scarp above the River White Esk. The enclosure and fort each have two opposed entrances in their N and S sides, where a road runs through the site. Small-scale excavations took place in the late 19th century and in 1946 and 1959-60. The latter revealed that the fort contained the remains of a number of timber buildings and cobbled streets. The site is believed to date from the Antonine period of Roman campaigns in the S of Scotland. It lies adjacent to a major Roman road and immediately N of a ford across the White Esk.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment are expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its significant potential to contribute to our understanding of the dating, development, function and variations in form of Roman forts and related structures. The fort at Raeburnfoot is particularly important because it is unusually well-preserved, with almost the entire circuit of the outer enclosure visible as an upstanding earthwork. Previous archaeological work at this site and on a Roman camp immediately to the N indicates that the site may have a complex chronology: the site has high potential for further research which would enhance our understanding of the Roman army on campaign. Spatial analysis of Roman forts and camps, and the Roman roads that connected them, can inform our understanding of Roman military strategy and the effects of the Roman presence on local peoples and the Iron Age landscape of Scotland. If this monument was to be lost or damaged, our understanding of Roman forts and related structures and our knowledge of Roman military logistics would be significantly diminished.

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.