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Black Rig is a linear earthwork north of Kingside Loch in Selkirkshire. The monument comprises an elongated defensive or territorial boundary feature constructed across the moorland landscape. Such linear earthworks often served to demarcate land holdings or protect livestock from marauding incursions during the medieval period, though similar structures were built in earlier eras across the Scottish Borders.
The monument sits upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-age wacke formation that provides the underlying geology typical of this part of southern Scotland. The surrounding moorland and lochs would have formed part of the pastoral economy of the region for centuries. The earthwork's precise alignment and construction reflect the demands of managing livestock movement and territorial control in terrain where natural water features, such as Kingside Loch itself, already shaped settlement patterns and land use.
Black Rig is designated as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM2534, affording statutory protection to ensure its preservation. The earthwork contributes to understanding medieval and earlier rural settlement strategy across the Borders landscape.
Black Rig, linear earthwork N of Kingside Loch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2534. View the official record →
Black Rig is a linear earthwork north of Kingside Loch in Selkirkshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2534.
Black Rig, linear earthwork N of Kingside Loch 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 SM2534.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tushielaw Tower (5 km), Meadowshaw,earthwork (5.9 km), Prehistoric settlement, 200m ENE of Northhope Haugh (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black Rig, linear earthwork N of Kingside Loch'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.
Black Rig, linear earthwork N of Kingside Loch stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.