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Hollybush is a Selkirkshire earthwork constructed on Hawick Group bedrock, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period. The monument sits within the Southern Uplands geology distinctive to the Scottish Borders, where these indurated sedimentary rocks provide a stable though challenging foundation for ancient construction. The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2258.
The earthwork's form reflects the landscape-based defensive or ceremonial practices of its period, positioned to command views across the local terrain. The underlying wacke bedrock, whilst resistant to erosion, would have required substantial effort to fortify with ditches and banks, suggesting this location held strategic or ritual significance sufficient to justify such labour-intensive construction.
Today Hollybush remains a notable archaeological feature within Selkirkshire's varied earthwork landscape, representing the material culture and land use practices of early medieval or prehistoric communities in the Scottish Borders. The monument's survival on this exposed moorland geology attests to the durability of its construction, and its official protection recognises its importance to understanding the region's settlement and territorial history.
Hollybush,earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2258. View the official record →
Hollybush is a Selkirkshire earthwork constructed on Hawick Group bedrock, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2258.
Hollybush,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 SM2258.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bell Hill,fort 910m NE of Smedheugh (6.3 km), Peel Hill, motte and bailey castle, Selkirk (6.5 km), Philiphaugh, settlement and burial ground 150m S of Calton Cottage (6.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Hollybush,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.
Hollybush,earthwork stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.