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Ruthven is a depopulated township located 600 metres south of the larger settlement, situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. The site rests upon bedrock of igneous origin, formed during the Early Devonian period from felsic rocks that crystallised as part of a Late Silurian to Early Devonian intrusion. This underlying geology of hard, acidic stone is characteristic of the region's ancient landscape and would have presented both challenges and opportunities to the communities who settled and farmed here.
The abandonment of Ruthven reflects broader patterns of rural depopulation and settlement reorganisation that affected Highland townships over several centuries. Like many such sites, the exact circumstances and timing of its desertion remain tied to economic and social changes that transformed the Scottish landscape. The township's physical remains survive as earthworks and possibly fragmentary structures within the moorland environment.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM11901, recognising its value as an archaeological and historical record. The survival of depopulated townships such as Ruthven provides important evidence of past settlement patterns, land use, and the lived experience of rural communities in the Highlands.
Ruthven, depopulated township 600m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11901. View the official record →
Ruthven is a depopulated township located 600 metres south of the larger settlement, situated in Inverness-shire in the Scottish Highlands. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11901.
Ruthven, depopulated township 600m S 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 SM11901.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Edinchat, cairn 415m NNW of (1.3 km), Eilean nan Clach, crannog (4.1 km), Isle of Moy, fortified island and laird's house (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ruthven, depopulated township 600m S 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.
Ruthven, depopulated township 600m S of stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.