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

  SM6112_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600012004)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a prehistoric house, set on a shoulder of hill on the W side of Ness of Hillswick.

The house is oval on plan, 13m E-W by 11m over walls up to 0.4m high and 2.0m thick. There are slight traces of a small recess at the W end of the interior. The house has an entrance at the E end, which is slightly lower. Outside the entrance is a small yard, formed by earth banks about 1.1m thick and up to 0.9m high. This is rectangular, and measures about 5.5m by 6m.

The house is set in a slightly hidden location, but with good outlook across a wide area of land which is now rough grazing but has in the distant past, on the evidence of several walls appearing from beneath the peat, been divided for agricultural use. None of these fragmentary field walls is included in this scheduling.

The area to be scheduled is a square of side 50m, oriented N-S, with its SW corner 100m N of the summit of a small rocky knoll. This area includes the house, yard and an area around them in which evidence relating to 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 house in a very marginal location, but one which has clearly been divided for early agriculture. It has the potential to provide evidence, accessible to excavation and analysis, about prehistoric domestic and agricultural economy, prehistoric architecture and material culture, and about contemporary environment and land-use.

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.