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Middle Drums is a ring ditch monument located in Angus, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. Ring ditches are circular or sub-circular earthworks created by the deliberate excavation of a ditch, typically surrounding a central area which may have held timber structures or burial mounds. They date principally to the Bronze Age and Iron Age periods and represent some of Scotland's most substantial prehistoric monuments.
The site sits on bedrock formed from the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a Pragian-period sedimentary formation comprising sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone. This mixed geology would have presented both opportunities and challenges to prehistoric communities selecting this location, offering workable ground for constructing the ditch whilst underlying stone perhaps suitable for tools and structural purposes.
The monument's survival to the present day reflects both the substantial nature of its original construction and the protection afforded by its scheduled status. Ring ditches of this type across north-east Scotland remain important sources of evidence for Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement patterns, land use and ceremonial practice, though their precise functions remain subjects of scholarly interpretation.
Middle Drums,ring ditches 50m NE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6359. View the official record →
Middle Drums is a ring ditch monument located in Angus, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6359.
Middle Drums,ring ditches 50m NE 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 SM6359.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Damside Cottages,souterrain 250m E of (8 km), Damside Cottages,settlement 400m E of (8.1 km), Damside Cottages,pit circle and pit alignments 200m SSE of (8.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Middle Drums,ring ditches 50m NE 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.
Middle Drums,ring ditches 50m NE of stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.