Scheduled Monument

Stanhope, unenclosed platform settlement 850m SW ofSM8204

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
02/11/1999
Type
Prehistoric domestic and defensive: platform settlement
Local Authority
Scottish Borders
Parish
Drumelzier
NGR
NT 11579 29270
Coordinates
311579, 629270

Description

The monument comprises an unenclosed platform settlement of prehistoric date.

The monument lies in rough grassland along the NW flank of Laigh Hill, at around 240m OD. It comprises a pair of house platforms. The first is dug into the hillslope to a depth of about 0.8m on the SE side and measures about 10m in diameter. It is defined by a ditch measuring about 2m wide with an entrance on the WNW. There are traces of a wall, reduced to a stony bank, along the outer lip of the ditch, with a number of facing-stones visible.

Immediately to the NE is a second house platform, measuring about 9m in diameter. It is dug into the hillslope to a depth of about 0.8m on the SE side. Platforms of this type are level stances upon which timber roundhouses were built. They date to the Bronze Age and later prehistoric period.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found. It is oval with maximum dimensions of 50m NNE-SSW by 25m WNW-ESE, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The above-ground elements of the fence at the S end of the area are specifically excluded from the present scheduling.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of Bronze Age and later prehistoric settlement and economy. Its importance is increased by its proximity to other monuments of potentially contemporary date.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 12 NW 37.

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: 05/11/2026 07:36