Description

The monument comprises the remains of a farmstead with associated field system, of the period before the agricultural improvements, overlying the remains of a settlement and field system of the late Neolithic, some 4500 years old. The pre-improvement settlement

contains the remains of at least six rectangular buildings, now surviving largely as turf-covered footings, associated with field banks and the remains of a corn-drying kiln.

The late Neolithic settlement was revealed in part by excavations in advance of a gas pipeline (subsequently diverted). Quantities of beaker type pottery and flint work were found in a three-sided enclosure and it seems

likely that many of the other subdued banks in the area are

associated with this settlement phase.

The area to be scheduled measures 430m NE-SW by a maximum of 120m transversely, bounded on all sides except the SW by the boundary walls of Auchmachar Clump (the walls themselves being excluded from the scheduling) as marked in red on the attached map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance first as a settlement and field system of the late Neolithic; such settlements are extremely rare and this example has the potential to enhance considerably our understanding of prehistoric settlement and agriculture. The pre-improvement farmstead is of national importance as a well preserved and apparently complex settlement surviving in a district where land improvement has destroyed most evidence of this period. It has the potential to increase considerably our knowledge of settlement and agriculture in the period before the agricultural improvements.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ 95 SE 24.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland