Newbigging,ring ditches 300m S of

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Newbigging ring ditches, located 300 metres south of Newbigging in Angus, are a pair of prehistoric circular earthworks. These monuments consist of concentric ditches that once enclosed an area of ritual or domestic significance, a common form in Bronze Age Scotland. The ditches define roughly circular spaces, typical of ceremonial enclosures or settlement structures dating to the second millennium before Christ.

The site sits upon bedrock of the Stratheden Group, a Late Devonian formation composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate. This stable geological foundation would have provided firm ground for construction, whilst the overlying soils offered material for raising the banks between the ditches. The local stone would have been readily available for tool manufacture and structural purposes.

The monuments are protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6101. Ring ditches of this type across eastern Scotland represent an important category of prehistoric land use, though the specific function of these Angus examples—whether primarily ceremonial, defensive, or domestic—remains to be fully understood. The site contributes to understanding Bronze Age settlement patterns in the Angus lowlands.

Newbigging,ring ditches 300m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6101. View the official record →

Questions & answers

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

The bedrock under Newbigging,ring ditches 300m S of

Newbigging,ring ditches 300m S of stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.