Description

The monument comprises a roughly circular ditched enclosure and palisaded enclosure, of later prehistoric date, visible on oblique aerial photographs as cropmarks in an area of improved pasture. It is situated on a low rise on the N side of Strath Don, at an altitude of 50m above sea level.

A penannular ditch encloses an area about 35m in internal diameter. Limited archaeological excavation of the site in 2004 and 2005 shows the ditch to be bowl-shaped in profile, measuring 4.6m wide by 0.7m deep. Remains of a bank were found on the inner edge of the ditch. A concentric palisaded enclosure within the ditch can be seen in cropmarks on aerial photographs of the site.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, to include the remains described and an area around them within which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

As a plough-truncated monument visible in cropmarks on aerial photographs, the enclosure is a good example of an enclosed settlement site, shown by excavation to date to the Iron Age, surviving in an area of agricultural activity. Although the enclosure has been cultivated, limited excavation has shown that evidence relating to domestic structures may be preserved as buried deposits inside the enclosure. The palisaded enclosure may represent the remains of another phase of occupation or have been a part of the ditched enclosure. It is likely that a bank would have lain inside the ditch; the excavations found possible remains of such a feature. The ditch is likely to contain archaeological deposits that can tell us about the economy of the inhabitants of the enclosure, the date at which the enclosure was constructed, used and abandoned, and the environment in which the enclosure was built.

Contextual characteristics

The monument commands views along Strath Don. It has the capacity to contribute towards a better understanding of enclosed settlements. Comparing and contrasting the enclosure to other examples both nearby and within the wider area can enable an understanding of how such sites are positioned within the landscape, as well as provide enhanced contexts for the Iron-Age economy and structure of society. This potential is enhance by the site's proximity to Wester Fintray enclosure (NJ81NW53), which may have been occupied contemporaneously. Information gained from the preservation and study of this site can be used to gain an insight into the wider knowledge of Iron-Age enclosed settlement across Scotland.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular, a type of monument that characterises the wider Iron-Age domestic landscape. Domestic remains and artefacts from settlements have the potential to tell us not only about wider prehistoric society, but also its architecture, how people lived, where they came from and who they had contacts with. Archaeological deposits preserved within the ditch, palisade slot and interior of the monument may provide information about what the contemporary environment looked like and how it was being managed by the prehistoric farmers who lived here. Its loss would impede our ability to understand the placing of such monuments (particularly those on the flanks of hills and along the sides of valleys) within the landscape both in Strathdon and across Scotland, as well as our knowledge of Iron-Age social structure, economy, and building practices.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ1NW38.02, Suttie: Enclosure: Palisaded (possible). Aberdeenshire Council SMR records the monument as NJ81NW0036, Wester Fintray: Cropmarks; Enclosures; Features; Homesteads.

References:

Cook M et al, WESTER FINTRAY, Edinburgh, draft report from Kintore Landscape Project.

Cook M et al 2004, 'Kintore Landscape Project (Fintray parish): Mesolithic flint scatter; Neolithic and Bronze Age lithics; metalworking; cairn; cup-marked boulder', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 5, 15-16.

Cook M et al 2005, 'Kintore Landscape Project: Wester Fintray (Fintray parish), Evaluation; test pitting', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 6, 15.

RCAHMS 2007, IN THE SHADOW OF BENNACHIE: A FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY OF DONSIDE, ABERDEENSHIRE, Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland