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Nunraw Barns Pit Alignment is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in East Lothian, Scotland. Pit alignments are a distinctive form of monument, typically comprising regularly spaced pits dug into the ground in straight or gently curving lines, often extending for considerable distances across the landscape. Their precise function remains uncertain, though they may have served as territorial boundaries, stock control features, or ritual markers. The alignment southeast of Nunraw Barns forms part of a wider pattern of such monuments found across Scotland and northern England, predominantly dating to the Bronze Age or Iron Age.
The site is situated on bedrock formed from the Stratheden Group, a Late Devonian geological formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate. This mixed geology would have presented both opportunities and challenges for the monument's constructors, with the softer sandstone easier to excavate than the harder conglomerate bands. The underlying geology has influenced both the appearance and preservation of the pit alignment.
Nunraw Barns Pit Alignment is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8777, recognising its archaeological significance and the need to preserve this rare example of prehistoric land demarcation for future study and understanding of ancient settlement patterns and land organisation in East Lothian.
Nunraw Barns, pit alignment SE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8777. View the official record →
Nunraw Barns Pit Alignment is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in East Lothian, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8777.
Nunraw Barns, pit alignment SE 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 SM8777.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kingside Hill,stone circle (6.2 km), Longyester,palisaded enclosures and pit alignments 600m SE of (6.5 km), Hopes,fort,Long Yester (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Nunraw Barns, pit alignment SE 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.
Nunraw Barns, pit alignment SE of stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.