Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM11590_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014039)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a group of five ring-ditch houses of prehistoric date. The ring-ditches (near circular ditched enclosures) are visible as upstanding features strung out along the southern lower slopes of Creag an Sgor.

The easternmost house measures about 8m in diameter within a stony bank up to 1.5m in thickness and 0.3m in height. The entrance is on the SE and is flanked by large stones. In the interior there are the remains of a very shallow ring-ditch, which is best defined on the S. The next house is about 140m W and downslope of the former. It measures about 9m in diameter within a wall reduced to a stony bank up to 1.5m in thickness and 0.2m in height and has an entrance on the SSE. A number of outer facing-stones are visible on the N. The N part of the interior has been scooped into the natural slope to a depth of at least 0.5m, but there are also traces of an internal ring-ditch which is best defined on the E, measuring up to 2.5m in breadth. About 125m to the SE is situated the third ring-ditch which is slightly dug into the slope. It has an internal diameter of 9m and a bank 3m wide, which is best preserved on the S (downslope), where it survives to a height of 0.3m.

About 110m SE from the third house there are a pair of ring-ditches 26m apart. The NE house measures about 8.6m in diameter within a wall reduced to a thick stony bank, and there is an entrance on the S. On the NW the bank measures up to 2.2m in thickness and 0.4m in height, but where both inner and outer facing-stones are present on the W, the original thickness of the wall is about 1m. A number of outer facing-stones are also visible on the SE. In the SW half of the interior, a ditch up to 2.9m in breadth and 0.2m in depth is visible immediately within the line of the wall. The SW house measures 7.1m in diameter within a bank up to 2.5m in thickness and 0.2m in height, and there is an entrance on the S. Immediately within the interior there is a concentric ditch, measuring up to 2.2m in breadth and 0.15m in depth.

The area to be scheduled has five separate components, each circular on plan and centred on an individual ring-ditch, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics: The monument consists of a group of five well-preserved later prehistoric ring-ditch houses. In each example, the remains of the ditch and bank are visible on the ground. Given the area's current use as managed grouse moorland, it is likely that archaeologically significant deposits relating to the construction, use and abandonment of the structures remain in place. The site has considerable potential to enhance understanding of later prehistoric roundhouses and the daily lives of the people who occupied them. It may have been occupied for a long period of time, or on a seasonal basis.

Contextual characteristics: The monument is a good representative of what may have once been a numerous class; the rarity of such sites in the area may be due to poor survival as a result of intensive agricultural practices since the later prehistoric period. As a group of ring- ditches the monument has the potential to provide information on later prehistoric settlement patterns. Comparison of local architectural features in this area with those of other prehistoric roundhouses in Scotland may enhance our understanding of regional variation in later prehistoric settlement.

National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to the understanding of the past, in particular the later prehistoric period. This potential is enhanced by the relatively good preservation and its group value. Loss or damage of the monument would affect our ability to understand the development of later prehistoric architecture, society, economy in Scotland in general and the prehistory of western Strathdon in particular.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.