Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBlack Hill,settlement
Settlement

Black Hill,settlement

Scotland
HES SM2319
Site type
Settlement
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Black Hill is a settlement situated in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland. The site occupies ground underlain by Riccarton Group wacke bedrock of Wenlock age, deposited during the Silurian period over 420 million years ago. This hard, erosion-resistant stone would have provided a stable foundation for occupation, though the underlying geology offers limited naturally occurring building materials suited to construction.

The settlement's location in the Borders region places it within an area of significant prehistoric and early medieval activity. Roxburghshire has yielded evidence of settlement across multiple periods, from Bronze Age occupation through to medieval times, reflecting the region's long history of human habitation and its strategic importance in controlling border routes between Scotland and England.

Black Hill is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's designation SM2319, recognising its importance to understanding settlement patterns and land use in the Scottish Borders. The site contributes to the archaeological record of this distinctive landscape, where rocky upland terrain and river valleys have shaped patterns of settlement from ancient times to the present day.

Black Hill,settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2319. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Black Hill,settlement?

Black Hill is a settlement situated in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2319.

Who is responsible for protecting Black Hill,settlement?

Black Hill,settlement 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 SM2319.

What other scheduled monuments are near Black Hill,settlement?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wheel Causeway,section 640m long on S slope of Wardmoor Hill (1.5 km), Dykeheads,homestead moat (1.6 km), Westshiels,spur earthwork 1550m SW of (1.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Black Hill,settlement

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black Hill,settlement's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Black Hill,settlement

Black Hill,settlement stands on Riccarton Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.