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Groddie Cottage shielings is a cluster of three seasonal herding shelters located on upland moorland in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, positioned approximately 2520m, 2630m and 2700m west-northwest of Groddie Cottage. The monuments are situated on bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion of Silurian age, which gives the landscape its distinctive rocky character typical of the Ordovician to Silurian geological formations of this region. This geology shaped both the terrain and the pastoral practices that would have unfolded across these slopes.
Shielings were temporary settlements occupied during the summer grazing season, when cattle and sheep were moved to higher pastures whilst lowland fields were left to recover. These particular examples represent the material traces of Highland pastoral transhumance, a practice central to Scottish upland agriculture from the medieval period onwards. The three separate structures suggest occupation spread across the most viable grazing grounds in the locality.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland, reference SM11790, recognising its archaeological and historical significance as evidence of traditional land-use practices. Such shielings are increasingly rare in their structural form, making this group valuable for understanding the seasonal movement patterns and settlement strategies that sustained upland communities in early modern and historic Scotland.
Groddie Cottage, shielings 2520m, 2630m and 2700m WNW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11790. View the official record →
Groddie Cottage shielings is a cluster of three seasonal herding shelters located on upland moorland in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, positioned approximately 2520m, 2630m and 2700m west-northwest of Groddie Cottage. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11790.
Groddie Cottage, shielings 2520m, 2630m and 2700m WNW of 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 SM11790.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ardan Breac, shielings 2780m WNW of Balgrennie (0.3 km), Balgrennie, hut circle and field system 3170m WNW of (1 km), Clais Garbh, shieling group 1660m W of Groddie Cottage (1.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Groddie Cottage, shielings 2520m, 2630m and 2700m WNW of'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.
Groddie Cottage, shielings 2520m, 2630m and 2700m WNW of stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.