Description

This monument comprises two hut circles and a burial cairn of probable Bronze Age or later prehistoric date, situated close together. The monument is located within a conifer plantation clearing at 325m OD (Ordance Datum) and around 310m NNW of Knocksoul farmstead. It commands a wide view to the S and SW from its position on the gently sloping SW side of Knocksoul Wood.

The NW hut circle measures 12.5m in diameter and has a circular wall surviving as a grass-grown, stony bank up to 2.8m in thickness and 0.3m in height. There is a possible entrance on the E side. Situated approximately 33m to the SE, the second hut circle measures around 7m in diameter and has a grass-grown bank up to 3m in thickness and 0.3m in height. The S edge of this hut circle is overlain by the bank of a ha-ha (a landscaped boundary designed to be invisible from certain views) or field boundary. Situated around 7.7 m ESE of the NW hut circle is a cairn measuring 12.5 m in diameter and 0.7 m in height.

The area to be scheduled comprises two discrete areas, circular and rectangular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area in which evidence relating to the construction and use of the monument may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The southernmost scheduled area excludes the forest track and the above-ground elements of existing modern fencelines, to allow for their maintenance.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics: The characteristic features that define the hut circles and the cairn are well preserved, and it is likely that the associated archaeological deposits also survive in a good condition. The NW hut circle has a well-defined perimeter wall, including a possible entrance. The cairn is large, and there is a possibility of its later use as the site of another hut circle. These structures have the potential to significantly enhance understanding of hut circles and cairns, and of their inter-relationships.

Contextual characteristics: The two hut circles belong to a widespread class of prehistoric settlement type seen throughout Strathdon and wider parts of upland Scotland. It is not only their preservation, but their proximity and relationship to the burial cairn that marks them as significant. The monument occupies what would have been a prominent position in the landscape, with wide views to the S. It is possible that these structures formed part of a larger group that extended into the improved fields to the S.

National Importance: The monument is of national significance because the characteristic features that define the hut circles and the cairn appear to remain well preserved, so there is good potential for the survival of archaeological evidence relating to their construction and use. The monument occupies a prominent position in the landscape where prehistoric people could see it over a wide area of the landscape in which they conducted their day-to-day activities. Its loss would affect our ability to understand this landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the monument as NJ40NW139. It is recorded in the Aberdeenshire Council SMR as NJ40NW0016.

References:

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

Source: Historic Environment Scotland