Ancient Monuments

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Elphinstone Tower,enclosure and ring ditch 600m west of

A Scheduled Monument in Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry, East Lothian

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.9166 / 55°54'59"N

Longitude: -2.9887 / 2°59'19"W

OS Eastings: 338299

OS Northings: 669725

OS Grid: NT382697

Mapcode National: GBR 70K0.RW

Mapcode Global: WH7V1.2K22

Entry Name: Elphinstone Tower,enclosure and ring ditch 600m W of

Scheduled Date: 4 May 1993

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM5685

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Prehistoric domestic and defensive: enclosure (domestic or defensive)

Location: Tranent

County: East Lothian

Electoral Ward: Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry

Traditional County: East Lothian

Description

The monument comprises an enclosure and ring ditch house of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The enclosure is subrectangular in shape with approximate dimensions of 80m E-W by 60m N-S. It is formed by a ditch some 5m in maximum width with clear entrance terminals on its E-facing side. Dark areas inside the enclosure may represent preserved occupation material. Some 60m S of the enclosure is a ring ditch, approximately 10m in diameter and with no visible entrance. This is likely to represent the remains of a prehistoric domestic structure.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features together with an area around them in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. The area is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 210m N-S by 150m E-W, 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 defended settlement and house construction. The spatial association of the ring ditch and the enclosure offers the possibility of addressing the question of the functional and chronological relationships between the two structural forms on this site.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NT36NE 1.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

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