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

  SM6221_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600012112)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a burnt mound, a cooking place of probable Bronze Age date. It was in the past regarded as the possible site of an Iron Age fortification, or dun.

The monument takes the form of a grass-covered mound some 15m N-S by 12m, and stands over 2m high above a flat boggy area which has now been partly drained. It is oval on plan, and in places erosion by livestock has revealed the composition of the mound, which is of small stones, all of which are fire-cracked or reddened. Near the foot of the mound, on the E side, several larger stones protrude, suggesting that the mound may overlie the remains of associated structures.

Burnt mounds are the accumulated result of the immersion of heated stones in a trough of water, to bring the latter to boiling point. They are generally regarded as a by-product of cooking by boiling, but at some excavated sites interpretations such as baths or sauna- baths have been suggested. There are no excavated examples in the Western Isles (indeed, this monument may be the first positively identified example of a burnt mound in the Outer Hebrides), but on analogy with the Northern Isles a burnt mound of this order of size is most likely to date to the Bronze Age (circa 1800 BC- circa 600 BC).

The area to be scheduled is circular, 25m in diameter, to include the mound and a small area around in which evidence relating to its use and accumulation may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved burnt mound, which has the potential, through excavation and analysis, to provide important information about prehistoric domestic economy and diet. It derives additional interest as the first such monument identified in the Western Isles Islands Area, although the type is well-known from Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and South-Western Scotland. It is a monument-type which is now being recognised in increasing numbers throughout a much wider range, and it is unlikely in the extreme that Sidhean Tuath is unique in the Western Isles.

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.