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Meikle Fleuchat is a post-medieval shieling settlement located in Aberdeenshire, 1060 metres south-east of Shiel. The site comprises the remains of shielings—temporary or seasonal settlements used for pastoral farming—together with associated field enclosures. These structures represent the upland pastoral economy that sustained Highland and lowland communities from the early modern period onwards.
The monument lies upon bedrock formed from the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic succession of metamorphic rocks comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite. This geology, typical of the eastern Grampian highlands, created soils and terrain suitable for grazing sheep and cattle, the primary purpose of shieling settlements. The relative elevation and exposure of the site would have made it suitable only for seasonal occupation during the summer months, when livestock were driven to upland pastures.
The shielings and enclosures at Meikle Fleuchat are protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM11524. The survival of these earthwork remains contributes to our understanding of upland land use, pastoral practices and rural settlement patterns in early modern Scotland, when such seasonal movements of livestock formed an integral part of Highland and mixed farming economy.
Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11524. View the official record →
Meikle Fleuchat is a post-medieval shieling settlement located in Aberdeenshire, 1060 metres south-east of Shiel. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11524.
Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a shielings and enclosures 1060m se of shiel. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel 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 SM11524.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Relaquheim, farmstead 1090m W of, Glen Ernan (2.8 km), Relaquheim, limekiln 1060m WSW of, Sron Aonghais (2.8 km), Greenbank, ring-ditch 365m N of (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel'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.
Meikle Fleuchat, shielings and enclosures 1060m SE of Shiel stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.