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Hangingshaw Hill is a post-medieval unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn situated in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The settlement represents a form of rural occupation that developed after the medieval period, with domestic structures arranged across the landscape without defensive enclosure. The associated field system demonstrates contemporary agricultural practices, with boundaries and divisions adapted to the local terrain. Together, these elements provide evidence of how communities organised both settlement and productive land during the post-medieval era.
The monument rests upon volcanic bedrock comprising mafic lava and tuff of Silurian to Devonian age, formed during the Devonian period. This underlying geology would have influenced both the physical character of the landscape and the availability of stone for building and field boundaries. The harder volcanic rock of the hillside, weathered over geological time, provided material for construction and would have shaped how the inhabitants worked and divided their land.
The cairn at Hangingshaw Hill represents a distinct element of the site, though whether it is contemporary with the settlement or relates to earlier activity is not determined from available evidence. Collectively, the settlement, field system and cairn form a complex landscape monument that illustrates post-medieval rural life in the Scottish Borders. The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM10746.
Hangingshaw Hill, unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10746. View the official record →
Hangingshaw Hill is a post-medieval unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn situated in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10746.
Hangingshaw Hill, unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hangingshaw Hill, unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn 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 SM10746.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brownhart Law,Roman signal station & Roman road,Dere Street (4.6 km), Roman fort, two Roman fortlets, two Roman camps, a section of Roman road and a medieval settlement and chapel at Chew Green (5.4 km), Goshen Hill, palisaded settlement (5.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hangingshaw Hill, unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn'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 Hill, unenclosed settlement, field system and cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.