Description

The monument comprises the remains of an enclosed settlement and a second, possible settlement of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The site lies on level ground in rolling arable farmland at around 80m OD adjacent to the N of Hairy Craig, an outcrop on the N bank of Old Hailes Burn. The area is dominated by the presence of Traprain Law some 300m to the S. The enclosure occupies the SW corner of a modern arable field and is visible as a cropmark only on its N and E sides. It appears to be sub-rectangular in shape with approximate dimensions of 30m N-S by 35m. An entrance is visible in the centre of the N side.

Some 25m N are the faint traces of a semi-circular

cropmark some 30m in diameter. This may represent the S half of a second enclosed settlement. The area around Traprain Law is rich in the remains of sub-rectangular and other enclosures thought to represent native settlement at and around the time of the Roman incursions into

southern Scotland. Their distribution, clustering near

Traprain Law, is potentially significant since it is widely believed that this was an important tribal centre at this period. The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features 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 180m N-S

by 130m SW-NE 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 add to our understanding of prehistoric settlement and social organisation at the time of the Roman incursions into southern Scotland. The significance of the monument is greatly enhanced by its association with the wider group of monuments clustered near Traprain Law.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 57 NE 66 and 74.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland