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Cliftoncote cultivation terraces are a series of ancient agricultural earthworks located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. These terraces represent a deliberate modification of the landscape undertaken to create level platforms suitable for growing crops on what would otherwise have been sloping ground. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5009.
The terraces were constructed on bedrock composed of Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lava and tuff formed during the Devonian period. This ancient volcanic geology would have provided a challenging foundation for medieval and early modern farmers seeking to maximise arable land in the Scottish Borders. The creation of such terraces required substantial labour investment and indicates sustained commitment to agriculture in this location.
Cultivation terraces of this type are found across upland Britain and Scotland, where they typically date from the medieval period through to the early modern era. Their presence at Cliftoncote demonstrates the extent to which communities in the Borders landscape engineered their environment to support farming, adapting to local topography and geology to produce the best returns from their land.
Cliftoncote,cultivation terraces is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5009. View the official record →
Cliftoncote cultivation terraces are a series of ancient agricultural earthworks located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5009.
Cliftoncote,cultivation terraces 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 SM5009.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Huntfold Hill, fort and field system (8.5 km), Pennymuir Bridge, barrow cemetery 700m NE of (8.9 km), Round cairn west of Windy Gyle, 680m WNW of Russell's Cairn (9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cliftoncote,cultivation terraces'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.
Cliftoncote,cultivation terraces stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.