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Latitude: 56.6605 / 56°39'37"N
Longitude: -2.85 / 2°50'59"W
OS Eastings: 347995
OS Northings: 752398
OS Grid: NO479523
Mapcode National: GBR VN.BG08
Mapcode Global: WH7QF.6V4D
Entry Name: Myreside,henge,enclosure and barrows NW of
Scheduled Date: 3 March 1994
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM5934
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: Prehistoric domestic and defensive: enclosure (domestic or defensive); Prehistoric ritual and funera
Location: Forfar
County: Angus
Electoral Ward: Forfar and District
Traditional County: Angus
The monument comprises the remains of a henge, an enclosure and a series of barrows of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.
The site lies in undulating arable farmland at around 70m OD on the NE fringes of Lunanhead. The dominant feature, lying on a low rise, is a circular henge monument, defined by a ditch some 5m wide and with an overall diameter of some 35-40m. Such monuments are found in many parts of Britain and appear to represent ritual enclosures of
the Neolithic period.
The henge has a well-defined E-facing entrance. Concentric with the ditch around the N side is a pale "halo", representing the former external bank characteristic of henge monuments. NNW of the henge is a nearly square enclosure with sides of some 20m. To the SW of this enclosure a series of rather fainter cropmarks appear to indicate the presence of small circular barrows representing Bronze Age funerary practice.
Numerous other features of variable clarity occupy the remainder of the site, most notably an arc of large pits SE of the henge. The monument as a whole appears to represent a prehistoric ritual centre of some complexity. 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 330m NNE-SSW by 300m as marked in red on the accompanying map.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of Neolithic and Bronze Age ritual practice. The chronological and functional relationships between the various elements of the complex will be of particular importance for our understanding of the development of ritual and funerary practice in this period.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
RCAHMS records the monument as NO 45 SE 38, 48, 108.
Reference:
RCAHMS (1978) Lunan Valley List, No. 169, 194.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
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