© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Hangingshaw is a Selkirkshire earthwork situated on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-age wacke formation that would have presented a challenging medium for construction. The monument's position on this geological foundation has influenced its survival and form across the centuries. The underlying wacke, a hard sedimentary rock common to the Southern Uplands, provides a stable base that has helped preserve the earthwork's structure through repeated freeze-thaw weathering cycles typical of upland Scotland.
The earthwork lies within the distinctive landscape of Selkirkshire, a region historically shaped by both natural topography and human settlement. This type of monument reflects the land-use patterns and territorial arrangements of earlier periods in the Scottish Borders, with earthworks often serving defensive, administrative or boundary functions within their local landscapes. The Hangingshaw site's specific location among Selkirkshire's rolling terrain would have offered strategic or economic advantages to its builders and users.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM2226, recognising its archaeological significance and vulnerability. This statutory protection ensures that the earthwork's form and any associated archaeological deposits remain safeguarded against damage and unauthorised disturbance, preserving evidence of past settlement and land organisation in the Scottish Borders.
Hangingshaw,earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2226. View the official record →
Hangingshaw is a Selkirkshire earthwork situated on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-age wacke formation that would have presented a challenging medium for construction. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2226.
Hangingshaw,earthwork 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 SM2226.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle Hill,earthwork (4.2 km), Oakwood, Roman fort and camp SSE of (5.1 km), Brockhill Burn,earthwork (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hangingshaw,earthwork'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.
Hangingshaw,earthwork stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.