Description

The monument is the buried remains of a henge and a timber circle, which are Neolithic or early Bronze Age ceremonial structures probably dating to between around 3100 BC and 1700 BC. The monument is visible as cropmarks recorded on oblique aerial photographs and occupies an area of relatively level ground, at around 20m above sea level.

The henge is defined by an outer bank and inner ditch measuring up to 4m and 5m in width respectively, enclosing an area 27m in diameter. A single entrance gap is visible on the west and the buried remains of a timber circle measuring about 7m east-west by 5m transversely have been identified within the interior of the henge.

The scheduled area is sub-circular on plan, measuring 60m in diameter, 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 first scheduled in 1973, but the documentation does 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 understanding of ceremony and ritual during the Neolithic period. It is likely that deposits survive in the ditch, within and beneath the remnants of the upcast bank and within the postholes of the timber circle that can help us understand the chronology, development and function of such monuments. The presence of a small timber circle within the henge, which is likely to pre-date the construction of the henge ditch and bank, combined with the evidence for multi-phased activity from excavations of henge monuments elsewhere, indicate this monument is likely to have had an extended developmental sequence. Henge monuments and timber circles are a key sources of evidence for the Neolithic/early Bronze Age in Scotland, and can enhance our understanding of Neolithic/early Bronze Age society and economy, as well as the nature of ceremony, ritual and belief systems. They would have been an important component of the wider prehistoric landscape of settlement, agriculture and ritual. The loss of the monument would diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the meaning and importance of ceremony and ritual during the Neolithic/early Bronze Age and the placing of henge monuments within the landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 12843 (accessed on 07/03/2016)

The Highland Council Historic Environment Record reference is MHG9008.

Millican, K 2007 Turning in circles: a new assessment of the Neolithic timber circles of Scotland, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 137, 5-34.

Younger, R K 2015 De-henging the henge: a biographical approach to Scotland's henge monuments, PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/12843/

HER/SMR Reference

MHG9008

Source: Historic Environment Scotland