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Monktonhall Junction Cursus is a Neolithic cursus monument located 150 metres north of Whitecraig in Midlothian, Scotland. The site stands on bedrock of the Scottish Coal Measures Group, comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete deposits laid down during the Moscovian period. This geology would have presented particular challenges to Neolithic communities constructing the monument, requiring significant effort to prepare the ground and maintain the earthwork boundaries across the variable stone-rich substrate.
Cursus monuments are among the earliest monumental structures in Britain, dating to the earlier Neolithic period. They typically consist of two parallel banks and ditches forming a long rectangular corridor, often extending for considerable distances across the landscape. Their precise function remains debated, though they may have served ritual or ceremonial purposes, potentially marking processional routes or sacred boundaries within the prehistoric settlement pattern.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13318, recognising its significance as evidence of Neolithic activity and land use in the Midlothian region. The site contributes to understanding of early agricultural communities in lowland Scotland and their monumental investment in the landscape during this formative period of British prehistory.
Monktonhall Junction, Neolithic cursus 150m N of Whitecraig is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13318. View the official record →
Monktonhall Junction Cursus is a Neolithic cursus monument located 150 metres north of Whitecraig in Midlothian, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13318.
Monktonhall Junction, Neolithic cursus 150m N of Whitecraig dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a neolithic cursus 150m n of whitecraig. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Monktonhall Junction, Neolithic cursus 150m N of Whitecraig 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 SM13318.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosed settlement and pit alignment, 65m E of 53/54 The Crescent, Gowkshill (7.4 km), Barrow, 55m E of 20 David Herkes Way, Gowkshill (7.6 km), Cockpen,old parish church (7.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Monktonhall Junction, Neolithic cursus 150m N of Whitecraig'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.
Monktonhall Junction, Neolithic cursus 150m N of Whitecraig stands on Scottish Coal Measures Group, bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.