© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Shiel Rig is a settlement located 650 metres north of Clerkhillgrain in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monument lies upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-age wacke formation that characterises much of southern Scotland's geology. This hard, fine-grained sedimentary stone would have presented both challenges and resources to its inhabitants, who quarried and worked it for building materials. The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM4384.
The settlement occupies a landscape shaped by the weathered upland terrain typical of the Dumfriesshire borderlands. The wacke bedrock here provides a stable foundation for settlement, though its exposed outcrops would have required clearance for habitation and cultivation. The proximity to Clerkhillgrain suggests the site forms part of a small cluster of settlements within the local region, reflecting patterns of dispersed rural occupation common to this area.
The monument survives as earthwork remains on the modern landscape. Its scheduling acknowledges the settlement's historical and archaeological significance as evidence of domestic occupation in the Scottish Borders during the medieval or early modern period. The site contributes to understanding the settlement patterns and land-use practices of rural Dumfriesshire communities and the relationship between local geology and human habitation.
Shiel Rig,settlement 650m N of Clerkhillgrain is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4384. View the official record →
Shiel Rig is a settlement located 650 metres north of Clerkhillgrain in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4384.
Shiel Rig,settlement 650m N of Clerkhillgrain 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 SM4384.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bogle Walls, fort (7.8 km), Tanlawhill,farmstead and cultivation remains 950m ESE of (7.9 km), Tanlawhill Cottages, farmstead 865 m E of (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Shiel Rig,settlement 650m N of Clerkhillgrain'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.
Shiel Rig,settlement 650m N of Clerkhillgrain stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.