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

  SM12009_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014153)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a burial cairn of Bronze-Age date and an early-medieval cross and ogham-incised boulder. It is located in a small clearing in Bennachie Forest, a mature conifer plantation on the E flank of Millstone Hill, at about 200m above sea level.

Situated on the summit of a low but prominent ridge, the grass- and heather-covered cairn measures about 9m in diameter and about 0.7m in height. The remains of a ditch, some 3m wide by about 0.2m deep, are visible around the S half of the cairn. A cross-incised boulder lies about 10m to the NE of the cairn. The cross lies on the near-horizontal top face of the boulder and measures 0.35m by 0.35m by about 0.02m deep. The boulder also bears three groups of ogham inscription; one on its NE vertical face, one on its sloping NW face and one on its S face. Ogham is a form of early writing that had its origins in Ireland in about the 5th century AD and was probably introduced to Scotland in the 7th century AD.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the cairn, to include the remains described and an area around in which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics

The monument is in a good state of preservation. The characteristic structural features of the cairn are readily visible. Associated archaeological deposits are likely to be well preserved and it retains the potential to provide dating evidence for its use and information about how it was constructed and used. The cairn is also likely to seal information about the prehistoric environment in which it was built. The cross and ogham-incised boulder is an expression of language and religious belief from the early-medieval period that has the potential to provide evidence of language, literacy, religion and social structure among early-medieval communities.

Contextual characteristics

The monument is one of a number of prehistoric settlement sites, both domestic and funerary, on this flank of Millstone Hill, further enhancing the value of the monument. Although views to the wider setting of the cairn are currently obscured by mature trees, it occupies a prominent position in the landscape and would originally have a prominent landmark with wide views over the surrounding area. The presence of the cross and ogham-inscribed boulder adjacent to the cairn shows that the significance of place attached to the site continued into the medieval period, and suggests that the prehistoric cairn continued to serve as a reference point in the medieval landscape. Proximity to the parish boundary may not be a coincidence. Evidence for Pictish language and their use of literacy is very rare: only around 30 examples of ogham inscriptions are known in Pictland, the majority dating from the 7th to 9th centuries. The carved cross on the boulder bears resonance with later medieval boundary markers elsewhere in Aberdeenshire.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to contribute to an understanding of the past, in particular Bronze-Age burial architecture and practice, early-Christian monuments and their inter-relationship. The cairn retains the potential for the survival of archaeological evidence relating to its construction and use, as well as the environment in which it was created. The cross and ogham-incised boulder has the potential to further our understanding of language, literacy, religion and social structure among the Picts, and attests to the significance of place that medieval communities attached to this location. Occupying a prominent position, it would have been visible from a wide area of the prehistoric and medieval landscape in which people conducted their day-to-day activities. Its loss would affect our ability to understand the interactions that prehistoric and medieval societies had with this landscape and, by association, the rest of Scotland.

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.