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Ruthven hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds is a post-medieval settlement complex located in Inverness-shire, approximately 1200 metres south of Ruthven. The site comprises three archaeological features—domestic structures, agricultural land divisions and burnt stone deposits—that together reveal patterns of settlement and subsistence in the Scottish Highlands during the early modern period. The monument sits on bedrock of Grampian Group psammite and semipelite, metamorphic rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era, which would have influenced both the landscape's suitability for habitation and the type of building materials available to settlers.
The hut circles represent the domestic core of the settlement, typical of Highland occupation where stone-built or turf-constructed dwellings were adapted to exposed upland terrain. Associated field systems indicate arable and pastoral land management, demonstrating how communities integrated cultivation with stock-rearing across the available ground.
Burnt mounds—also known as fulachta fiadh—are accumulations of heat-cracked stones concentrated in localised areas. Whether used for cooking, textile production or other thermal processes, they provide evidence of economic activity beyond simple pastoralism. The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM11826.
Ruthven, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11826. View the official record →
Ruthven hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds is a post-medieval settlement complex located in Inverness-shire, approximately 1200 metres south of Ruthven. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11826.
Ruthven, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m S of dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ruthven, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m 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 SM11826.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tom Buidhe, enclosure 480m NNE of Ruthven (1.5 km), Ruthven, crannog 610m NNE of (1.7 km), Druimantorran, hut circles and field system 1525m NE and 1460m ENE of (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ruthven, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m 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, hut circles, field systems and burnt mounds 1200m S of stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.