Description

The monument comprises the remains of a medieval or later settlement and field system, situated on Dalnean Hill.

The settlement remains consist of the stone footings of two parallel rectangular buildings, each divided into three rooms, and each measuring over 18m in length and up to 4m in width. The remains of a drain running out of the end wall of one of the buildings indicates that the end compartment had been used as a byre. A rectangular enclosure, possibly a kailyard or garden plot, is attached to the south-western building. To the NW of the two buildings is a small outbuilding, and to the N, on the other side of a small burn and sited on a break in slope, is a kiln-barn. There are extensive remains of turf banks and rig-and-furrow over the hillside, particularly on the upper slopes of the hill to the W and SW of the buildings. The settlement of 'Dalneen' is recorded on maps from 1650 onwards, but appears to have been deserted by the mid-nineteenth century.

The monument is being rescheduled because the original scheduling had taken in areas with no known archaeological remains. The area now to be scheduled measures a maximum of 630m N-S by 590m E-W to include the settlement and field system and an area around in which remains associated with their construction and use are likely to survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it is a well-preserved example of a medieval or later settlement and field system which has the potential to considerably increase our understanding of domestic life and agricultural practices in medieval or later times.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NS40NE 12.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland