Description

The monument comprises the remains of an unenclosed settlement of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The monument lies in arable farmland at around 25m OD. It comprises the remains of an unenclosed settlement encompassing a large number of features including ring ditches, souterrains and rectilinear enclosures. Ring ditches have been shown by excavation to represent the remains of former timber roundhouses of the later prehistoric period.

The examples here measure between 8m and 12m in diameter within ditches about 1m wide. The area also includes at least three souterrains, each about 10m in length. These were semi-underground cellars attached to above-ground settlements during the Iron Age and are generally thought to have been used for storage.

The SW corner of the settlement contains several rectilinear enclosures roughly 10m square, while two oval enclosures lie towards its centre. A linear cropmark some 10m wide curves across the area from N-S, curving to the E at its S end. This may represent a former trackway or more recent disturbance.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the cropmark remains described above and an area around them in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 480m WNW-ESE by 280m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric settlement and economy. The relationships, both chronological and functional, between the various features will be of particular importance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO 53 NE 17.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland