Scheduled Monument

Ben Rulibreck,dun 570m NE of,VatersaySM5206

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
12/11/1991
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: dun
Local Authority
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Parish
Barra
NGR
NL 62697 94539
Coordinates
62697, 794539

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a dun, a fortified settlement of middle to late Iron Age date (c.200 BC to c. 600 AD), situated upon a small hill. The stonework of the dun has been largely removed, but sufficient remains to suggest it was oval in plan, 12.7m N-S by 10.4m E-W, over walls about 3.5m thick. The dun was surrounded by a substantial outer wall, of which only a few large boulders on the S slope of the hill and a stretch of walling 10m to the E of the dun survive.

Between the outer wall and the dun is a small courtyard about 10m square. The area to be scheduled is a quadrilateral, 50m E-W by a maximum of 35m N-S, to include the dun and the outer walling. The N boundary is formed by an existing fence which is specifically excluded from the scheduling. The area is marked in red on the accompanying plan.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance for the information which it contains, and which will be accessible to excavation, concerning defensive architecture in the Iron Age and also concerning domestic and agricultural economy in that period. Considerable depths of archaeological deposits survive at several locations on the monument. The monument has great potential to enhance our knowledge of the Iron Age in Atlantic Scotland.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NL 69 SW 1.

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: 18/07/2025 08:50