Scheduled Monument

Cairnshee,enclosure 440m SW ofSM6085

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
10/10/1994
Supplementary Information Updated
24/07/2018
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: enclosure (domestic or defensive, rather than ritual or funerary)
Local Authority
Aberdeenshire
Parish
Durris
NGR
NO 73839 94176
Coordinates
373839, 794176

Description

The monument comprises a circular enclosure of the mid to late prehistoric period. It is situated on a knoll on a low hill. The enclosure is situated on the NE end of the knoll and measures 12.5m in diameter. Its stone-built wall is about 2.5m thick and 0.5m high and incorporates numerous large boulders, the largest measuring 0.9m by 0.7m by 0.4m. A later wall, possibly also prehistoric, crosses the centre of the enclosure.

The area to be scheduled is roughly triangular and is bounde on the S by a modern track and on the N and E by modern field boundaries, to include the enclosure and wall and an area around them in which further remains associated with their construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a prehistoric enclosure. It has the potential to improve our knowledge of prehistoric domestic and cultivation practice, particularly as it is situated only 250m from a broadly contemporary field system (separately scheduled); it is probably a part of a more extensive prehistoric agricultural landscape represented by these settlement and cultivation remains.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO 79 SW 25 and 34.

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: 10/04/2026 12:51