Description

The monument comprises the excavated remains and site of a Northumbrian timber hall and earlier features. It is a Property in the Care of the Secretary of State for Scotland.

The monument lies on the E flank of Doon Hill at around 160m OD. Following the discovery of the site through aerial photography excavations from 1964-6 revealed the remains of a distinctive timber hall of Northumbrian type overlying an earlier, possibly native British hall. This sequence has been interpreted as providing rare archaeological evidence for the Northumbrian invasion of the Lothians in the 7th century AD. The halls lie within a polygonal palisaded enclosure which also contained a series of earlier features including several cremation burials and a small square enclosure. Although substantially excavated, further archaeological deposits may be expected to survive.

The principal excavated features have been laid out on the surface with a series of concrete foundations.

The area to be scheduled equates to the area presently in Care and is bounded by a modern fenceline (which is itself excluded from the scheduling). It is rectangular with dimensions of 180m ENE-WSW by 80m as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

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Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Doon Hill
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/doon-hill
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland