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Ratchill is a post-medieval platform settlement and ring enclosure situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. The monument lies 460 metres north-east of the main settlement and comprises the earthwork remains of domestic and defensive structures from the period following the medieval era. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2828.
The settlement is located on bedrock of the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations, undifferentiated wacke deposits formed during the Caradocian period of the Ordovician. This solid geology would have provided a firm foundation for construction, though the outcropping rock may also have influenced the choice and layout of the settlement structures themselves.
The combination of a platform settlement with an associated ring enclosure is characteristic of border agricultural settlements from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, when communities in this region required both domestic space and protection for livestock. The earthwork remains preserve important evidence of rural settlement patterns and land use in post-medieval Peeblesshire, recording a period of significant economic and social change in the Scottish Borders.
Ratchill,platform settlement and ring enclosure 460m NE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2828. View the official record →
Ratchill is a post-medieval platform settlement and ring enclosure situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2828.
Ratchill,platform settlement and ring enclosure 460m NE of dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a platform settlement and ring enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ratchill,platform settlement and ring enclosure 460m NE 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 SM2828.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stanhope, fort, scooped settlement and enclosed settlements SW of (7.1 km), Stanhope, enclosed settlement 800m SW of (7.3 km), Stanhope, unenclosed platform settlement 850m SW of (7.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ratchill,platform settlement and ring enclosure 460m NE 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.
Ratchill,platform settlement and ring enclosure 460m NE of stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.