Description

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric scooped settlement from the late first millennium BC or early centuries AD. It is visible as a scarp enclosing a sunken oval area terraced into a south-facing hillside on the lower slopes of Early Knowe. It lies about 170m above sea level and overlooks the River Tweed, 300m to the southeast.

The interior of the enclosure measures about 38m west southwest/east northeast by 18m transversely and cuts into the slope on the north side. The enclosing wall is now represented by scarp, but an entrance 3m wide is visible to the southeast. Four house platforms were recorded in 1961, towards the north of the interior. Of these, one is clearly visible at the north northeast corner and is around 5.5m in diameter. A low scarp extends across the settlement interior from northwest to southeast, dividing it into two courts.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The monument was scheduled in 1971, but the documentation did not meet current standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of Iron-Age domestic settlement. This settlement retains good field characteristics, with several features visible as earthworks, and the interior appears little disturbed. Domestic remains and artefacts from such settlements have the potential to tell us about wider society at this time, how people lived, where they came from and who they had contacts with. Archaeological deposits may also provide information about the nature of the contemporary environment and its use by prehistoric farmers. Spatial analysis of this and other sites in the region can inform our understanding of patterns of landholding and the expansion of settlement. The loss of this site would affect our ability to appreciate and understand the prehistoric landscape and its inhabitants within the Tweed Valley.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Other Information

The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NT33NE 5.

References

RCAHMS, 1967 Peeblesshire, an Inventory of the Ancient Monuments, 2v, Edinburgh, 162, no 354.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/53121/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland