Description

The monument is an enclosed settlement of the Iron Age, overlain by a farmstead of the pre-improvement period and a more recent sheepfold situated on a knoll jutting out from Bankhead Hill. It lies in a clearing in a Forestry Commission plantation. The monument has recently been planned at a large scale by Mercer.

It measures 45m (N-S) x 41m transversely internally, bounded on the N and E by a low stony bank and on the S and W by a steep drop. The original entrance lies in the N arc. The E part of the interior is raised somewhat; there are two well defined circular house stances on this platform. The entrance, the platform and the lower area are joined by a hollow way. In the lower area there are about ten circular house stances. The pre-improvement farmstead is represented by a single poorly defined rectangular platform, identified by RCAHMS but not planned by Mercer. The more recent sheepfold, now ruinous, encloses a subcircular area within the prehistoric enclosure. There are the remains of a shepherd's hut in the SE corner. An area measuring 100m (N-S) x 80m transversely is proposed for scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance to the theme of Iron Age settlement and economy; the remains of a relatively large settlement survive here in very good condition, almost completely undisturbed by the later activity on the site. Information of considerable importance on the way of life of the inhabitants may be preserved. The monument is of national importance because of its well preserved field characteristics. Taken with similar monuments of the period in the Eskdale, the monument is of national importance to the theme of the organisation of the Iron Age landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NY29SE 5.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland