Scheduled MonumentsScotlandRockhill, standing stone 225m SW of
Bronze Age · Standing stone

Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of

Scotland
HES SM451
Period
Bronze Age
Site type
Standing stone
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Rockhill is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, standing approximately 225 metres south-west of the settlement from which it takes its name. The monument rises from bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation dating to the Middle Devonian period, which characterises much of the local geology in this region. This red sandstone base would have provided the stone-workers of the Bronze Age with suitable material for extracting and erecting the monolith, and the local landscape of mixed moorland and improved pasture that surrounds the stone today reflects centuries of land use in the far north.

The standing stone is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland and registered under reference SM451. Such monuments are typically associated with Bronze Age burial practices, ceremonial activity and territorial marking across northern Scotland, though the specific purpose of this particular stone remains unknown. The survival of Rockhill demonstrates the enduring presence of prehistoric monuments within the Caithness landscape, where Bronze Age ritual and burial sites remain scattered across the moorland.

Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM451. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of?

Rockhill is a Bronze Age standing stone located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, standing approximately 225 metres south-west of the settlement from which it takes its name. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM451.

What period does Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of date from?

Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of?

Rockhill, standing stone 225m 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 SM451.

What other scheduled monuments are near Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster (4.2 km), Watenan,cairn & stone setting 400m W of,Ulbster (4.2 km), Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (4.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of

Rockhill, standing stone 225m SW of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.