Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Gallow Hill,settlement and ring-ditch 320m north of Girvan Mains

A Scheduled Monument in Girvan and South Carrick, South Ayrshire

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 55.2576 / 55°15'27"N

Longitude: -4.8489 / 4°50'56"W

OS Eastings: 219047

OS Northings: 599641

OS Grid: NX190996

Mapcode National: GBR 40.BZRP

Mapcode Global: WH2QR.H36R

Entry Name: Gallow Hill,settlement and ring-ditch 320m N of Girvan Mains

Scheduled Date: 15 December 1992

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM5501

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Prehistoric domestic and defensive: settlement; Prehistoric ritual and funerary: barrow

Location: Girvan

County: South Ayrshire

Electoral Ward: Girvan and South Carrick

Traditional County: Ayrshire

Description

The monument consists of the cropmark remains of a settlement and ring-ditch on Gallow Hill, to the N of Girvan Mains farmsteading. There are no surface traces of either site, which have been revealed by aerial photography.

The settlement is situated on the rounded summit of Gallow Hill. D- shaped on plan, it measures about 58m by 45m within a ditch up to 6m broad, and there are opposed entrances on the NE and SW respectively. The circuit may originally have been complete. There are slight indications of a narrow ditch, possibly a palisade trench, which is roughly concentric with the NE arc of ditch. The ring-ditch enclosure is circular on plan and measures about 14m in diameter within a ditch about 1-2m wide.

It may be the remains of a prehistoric (Bronze Age) burial.

The area to be scheduled consists of two discrete portions: the S portion (the settlement) is subcircular on plan and measures 115m from NE to SW by 100m transversely; the N portion (ring-ditch) measures 55m in diameter. These areas include the cropmarks and an area around in which associated remains may survive, as marked in red on the attached map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because the ring-ditch (probably the remains of a prehistoric burial barrow) and settlement have the potential to provide information about ritual and organisational aspects of Bronze Age and Iron Age society. The settlement is particularly important as few coastal forts and settlements survive in their upstanding form in this area of Scotland. Traces of internal features, such as timber houses, may survive within the interior of the settlement.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.