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Balnamoon souterrain is an Iron Age underground stone-built chamber situated 300 metres north-north-west of Meadowburn in Angus, Scotland. The monument lies on bedrock of the Strathmore Group, a sequence of sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone laid down in the Emsian period. This geological foundation of relatively soft sedimentary rock would have made excavation of the subterranean passage feasible for Iron Age communities, though the mixed lithology required careful construction to maintain stability.
Souterrains of this type, known as earth houses, are characteristic of Iron Age settlement in eastern Scotland and northern Britain. They typically comprised stone-lined underground passages or chambers, sometimes accessed via surface structures, and their precise function remains debated among archaeologists—interpretations range from storage facilities and refuge spaces to ritual or ceremonial purposes.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland and recorded under the reference SM6513. Its survival and location within the Strathmore landscape makes it an important example of Iron Age settlement evidence in Angus, contributing to understanding of subsistence and social practices in this region during the pre-Roman Iron Age.
Balnamoon, souterrain 300m NNW of Meadowburn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6513. View the official record →
Balnamoon souterrain is an Iron Age underground stone-built chamber situated 300 metres north-north-west of Meadowburn in Angus, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6513.
Balnamoon, souterrain 300m NNW of Meadowburn dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a souterrain 300m nnw of meadowburn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Balnamoon, souterrain 300m NNW of Meadowburn 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 SM6513.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Broomknowe,enclosure 200m W of (5.5 km), Netherton, enclosure 150m SSE of (6.4 km), Netherton, settlement 400m SSW of (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Balnamoon, souterrain 300m NNW of Meadowburn'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.
Balnamoon, souterrain 300m NNW of Meadowburn stands on Strathmore Group, bedrock that formed in the Emsian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.