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Balvattan is a post-medieval settlement and field system located in Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire. The site lies upon bedrock of the Grampian Group, ancient psammite and semipelite rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era. This geological foundation characterises the upland landscape of the Cairngorms region, where the settlement developed.
The monument comprises the physical remains of a rural community and its associated agricultural lands, typical of Highland settlement patterns from the early modern period onwards. The field system reflects the adaptation of land use to the moorland terrain, with divisions and boundaries arranged according to the slopes and drainage patterns of the local topography.
Balvattan is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM9338, recognising its significance as evidence of post-medieval rural life and land management in the Scottish Highlands. The site contributes to understanding how communities organised and exploited the resources of this distinctive upland environment.
Balvattan, settlement and field system, Rothiemurchus is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM9338. View the official record →
Balvattan is a post-medieval settlement and field system located in Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM9338.
Balvattan, settlement and field system, Rothiemurchus dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a settlement and field system, rothiemurchus. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Balvattan, settlement and field system, Rothiemurchus 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 SM9338.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Loch an Eilein Castle (1.9 km), Doune, motte, Rothiemurchus (3 km), Rothiemurchus, palisaded enclosure to NW of Dell Farm (3.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Balvattan, settlement and field system, Rothiemurchus'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.
Balvattan, settlement and field system, Rothiemurchus stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.