Scheduled Monument

Standing Stones of Urquhart, stone circle 550m NE of InnesmillSM1221

Status: Designated

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.

Summary

Date Added
26/08/1927
Last Date Amended
07/12/1998
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: stone circle or ring
Local Authority
Moray
Parish
Urquhart
NGR
NJ 28943 64079
Coordinates
328943, 864079

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a stone circle of the Neolithic period or the Bronze Age. It is being rescheduled to clarify the area protected, as the original documentation is very old and the map of poor quality.

At least 4 of the stones appear to be in situ. The site is most probably the remains of a robbed recumbent stone circle. The surviving stones lie in the southern part of a circle that would have been about 33m in diameter. Pits, stoneholes, postholes, burials and other features associated with the circle may survive in the area between and around the stones.

The area to be scheduled measures a maximum of 50m N-S by 55m E-W, to include the visible stones, the area that would originally have been occupied by the circle when complete, and features, associated with the erection and use of the circle, which may lie in the vicinity, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance, even though not, at first sight, well preserved. The buried archaeological features that probably survive around the visible stones have the potential to enhance considerably our understanding of this relatively unexplored class of monument. This site is of particular importance as it lies at the westernmost edge of the known distribution of recumbent stone circles.

References

Bibliography

The monument is recorded in the RCAHMS as NJ 26 SE 7.

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.

Images

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Printed: 16/04/2024 22:05