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Plewlands is a post-medieval scooped settlement and farmstead located in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland. The monument comprises a settlement whose structures were built into the slope of the landscape, creating characteristic scooped or sunken features. This building technique, whereby dwellings and associated structures were partially excavated into the hillside, provided shelter from the exposed moorland climate and made efficient use of local topography.
The site sits on bedrock of the Hawick Group, wacke deposits formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian. This hard sedimentary stone would have been quarried for building material and field boundaries, shaping the settlement's immediate landscape. The scooped earthworks preserve evidence of how rural communities in south-west Scotland organised domestic and agricultural space during the post-medieval period, before more conventional building practices became standard.
Plewlands is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM10547. The surviving topographic features provide archaeological evidence of settlement patterns, construction methods and land use in early modern rural Dumfriesshire. The scooped configuration remains visible across the site, offering insight into vernacular architecture adapted to the demands of the southern Scottish uplands.
Plewlands, scooped settlement and farmstead 485m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10547. View the official record →
Plewlands is a post-medieval scooped settlement and farmstead located in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10547.
Plewlands, scooped settlement and farmstead 485m SW of dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a scooped settlement and farmstead. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Plewlands, scooped settlement and farmstead 485m SW 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 SM10547.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Davie's Kirk,fort 40m W of (6.3 km), Maggiemauts Knowe,fort 150m NE of Courancehilly (6.9 km), The Knock,settlement 300m WSW of Burrancehill Cottages (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Plewlands, scooped settlement and farmstead 485m SW 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.
Plewlands, scooped settlement and farmstead 485m SW of stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.