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

  SM1602_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600004336)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a linear monument of Neolithic date known as the Cleaven Dyke. It combines the characteristics of a cursus monument and a bank barrow. It is being re-scheduled to clarify the extent of the protected area, reducing it width to take account of recent re-mapping of the area, and of discussions with the owner over the long-term management of the monument.

The monument is visible as an earthwork running roughly WNW-ESE through woodland and open ground, for a distance of some 1820m; the monument is visible as cropmarks for a further 400m cropmarks in arable fields to the ESE. Further associated features are buried beneath the ploughsoil in the arable field to the WNW. Over most of its length the monument comprises two parallel ditches between 45m and 51m apart, which are up to 5m across and some 0.6m deep. There is a bank between the ditches which measures 1m-2m high by about 8m-10m wide. The bank and ditch appear to consist of a series of linked short segments. At the WNW terminal the bank rises and broadens to about 16m, suggesting that the monument began as a round or oval barrow, with the later addition of a long barrow; only from the end of the long barrow are the widely-spaced ditches characteristic of the Cleaven Dyke visible. There are up to five original, apparently deliberate, breaks in the bank, which are not a feature normally common to cursus monuments. Recent excavations confirmed the segmented construction of the Dyke, and radiocarbon dates suggest that it was built not later than 3300 BC.

Two areas are proposed for scheduling, separated by the main public road from Perth to Blairgowrie; both are marked in red on the accompanying map extract and include the Dyke and an area around the visible features in which related features are likely to survive. The area to the north-west of the road measures about 1385m NW-SE, by a maximum of 69m across. The metalling of the forestry track that runs across the Dyke 1000m from the NW end of the scheduled area is excluded, to allow for maintenance. The area to be scheduled to the south-east of the road measures about 860m NW-SE, by a maximum of 69m across. The metalling of the track crossing the Dyke 400m NW of the SE end of the scheduled area is specifcially excluded from the scheduling to allow maintenance. The above-ground components of modern fence-lines which cross the monument at various points are also excluded from scheduling.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: the monument is well-preserved and has suffered little damage or alteration. It has considerable potential to enhance understanding of early Neolithic linear monuments and preserves within it a uniquely well-preserved construction sequence.

Contextual characteristics: while there are more than 50 cursus monuments in Scotland there is only a handful of upstanding bank barrows. These linear monuments are a diverse class. The Cleaven Dyke is set in a landscape rich in other Neolithic ceremonial and burial features and lies amidst a dense concentration of Neolithic flint scatters. The Herald Hill long barrow appears to point at the SE terminal.

Associative characteristics: the monument makes a striking impact on the modern landscape; this visual impact may have been intended by its builders.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to make a significant addition to the understanding or appreciation of the Neolithic period in eastern Scotland. It retains the field characteristics of its kind to a marked degree and makes a major impact on the modern landscape. The loss of or damage to the monument would significantly diminish the capacity of the class to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric 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.