Description

The monument is the remains of an enclosed settlement dating probably to the Iron Age (between 500 BC and AD 200). The monument is visible as cropmarks recorded on oblique aerial photographs. This approximately square enclosure lies at around 80m OD.

The cropmarks indicate that the enclosure ditch is up to 5m wide and defines an area measuring about 60m north to south by at least 60m transversely. The entrance to the enclosure is on the east side. A single large roundhouse is visible in the southwest quadrant of the enclosure.

The scheduled area includes 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 first scheduled in 1961, but the documentation did not meet current standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of later Iron Age and Roman period settlement. This monument is a well-preserved example of a key component of the late Iron Age landscape: the rectilinear enclosed farmstead. The ditches have high potential to contain significant archaeological deposits which, together with the roundhouse and other features in the interior, can tell us much about the nature and agricultural basis of later prehistoric settlement in southwest Scotland. Its importance is significantly enhanced by its siting within a local concentration of prehistoric and Roman monuments, which can enhance our understanding of social and economic change in a key period of prehistory. Our understanding of the distribution and character of late Iron Age settlements would be diminished if this monument was to be lost or damaged.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 66076 (accessed on 07/03/2016).

The Dumfries and Galloway Council Historic Environment Record reference is MDG6530 (accessed on 07/03/2016).

Johnston, D A 1994, 'Carronbridge, Dumfries and Galloway: the excavation of Bronze Age cremations, Iron Age settlements and a Roman camp', Proc Soc Antiq Scot 124, 233-88.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/66076/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland