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Ballachar is a post-medieval settlement located in Inverness-shire, comprising hut circles and associated field systems. The site lies on bedrock of the Moine Supergroup, a metamorphic unit of Neoproterozoic age consisting of gneissose psammite and gneissose semipelite. This ancient geological foundation would have presented specific challenges and opportunities for settlement, with the metamorphosed sedimentary rocks weathering to produce the soils that sustained cultivation and habitation in this Highland landscape.
The hut circles represent the domestic core of the settlement, their circular stone-built structures typical of post-medieval Highland occupation. The field systems visible around the settlement demonstrate the integration of pastoral and arable activity, with divisions marking land use and tenure arrangements. Such settlements were common across the Scottish Highlands during the medieval and early modern periods, representing permanent or semi-permanent occupation of marginal upland terrain.
Ballachar is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11431, reflecting its archaeological significance as a material record of post-medieval Highland settlement patterns and land use.
Ballachar, settlement, hut circles and field systems 275m NNW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11431. View the official record →
Ballachar is a post-medieval settlement located in Inverness-shire, comprising hut circles and associated field systems. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11431.
Ballachar, settlement, hut circles and field systems 275m NNW of dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a settlement, hut circles and field systems. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ballachar, settlement, hut circles and field systems 275m NNW of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM11431.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tom Buidhe, enclosure 480m NNE of Ruthven (1.5 km), Ruthven, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m S of (2.7 km), Dhuallow, cairn 195m E of (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ballachar, settlement, hut circles and field systems 275m NNW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ballachar, settlement, hut circles and field systems 275m NNW of stands on Moine Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is gneissose psammite and gneissose semipelite.