Scheduled MonumentsScotlandMidshiels,standing stone
Bronze Age · Standing stone

Midshiels,standing stone

Scotland
HES SM2142
Period
Bronze Age
Site type
Standing stone
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Midshiels is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The monument stands upon bedrock formed from the Hawick Group, a Silurian-age wacke deposited during the Wenlock period. This hard, resistant stone would have been familiar to the Bronze Age communities who erected the stone, as outcrops of similar geology are scattered across the surrounding landscape. The stone was likely selected from nearby sources and represents the substantial effort required to position such monuments in this rugged border country.

Standing stones of Bronze Age date are found throughout Britain and beyond, and those in the Scottish Borders reflect the ritual and social significance these communities placed upon their landscape. Their purposes remain partly mysterious, though they frequently mark territorial boundaries, burial sites or locations of ceremonial importance. The Midshiels stone contributes to our understanding of Bronze Age settlement and belief systems in the Borders region.

The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2142. Its survival into the present day, standing against weathering and the agricultural changes that have transformed the surrounding land, makes Midshiels a valuable witness to Bronze Age presence in Roxburghshire and a landmark whose origins reach back over three thousand years.

Midshiels,standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2142. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Midshiels,standing stone?

Midshiels is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2142.

What period does Midshiels,standing stone date from?

Midshiels,standing stone dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Midshiels,standing stone?

Midshiels,standing stone 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 SM2142.

What other scheduled monuments are near Midshiels,standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kaim Law,fort (5.1 km), Hawick Moat Park, motte (5.1 km), Kirkton Hill,fort (5.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Midshiels,standing stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Midshiels,standing stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Midshiels,standing stone

Midshiels,standing stone stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.