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

  SM6007_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600011902)

Summary

Description

This monument consists of the partially buried remains of a chapel together with the large mound into which it is set.

The chapel, Teampull Bhuirgh, measures internally 14m E to W by 5m N to S, with a simple rectangular plan. The lower portions of roughly mortared walls of local rubble stand to about 1m high internally. A window recess is visible in the E end of each long wall. Drifted sand has built up the external ground level to the top of the walls.

The remains of the chapel are set into a large flat-topped mound which stands 4m above the surrounding machair. This mound is formed by the sand-covered remains of a settlement which dates back to the later Iron Age, if no earlier, on the evidence of abundant pottery found on its lower slopes.

The area to be scheduled is rectangular, 120m NW to SE by 80m NE to SW, to include the chapel and the mound in which it sits, as marked in red on the attached map.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance as a good example of a simple chapel set, as frequently is the case, upon the remains of a settlement of considerably earlier origin. The underlying mound holds the potential, through excavation, to enhance understanding of settlement chronology in the area in the later prehistoric and earlier medieval periods.

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.