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Sourhope is a cultivation terraces, homestead and hut circles site located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The monument comprises the physical remains of prehistoric and early medieval settlement, with multiple circular stone-built structures dispersed across the landscape alongside evidence of ancient agricultural management. The site sits upon bedrock of Silurian to Devonian mafic lava and tuff, which would have provided building stone and shaped the underlying topography. This geological foundation influenced both settlement placement and land-use patterns visible today.
The hut circles represent domestic occupation, their stone footings surviving as visible rings on the ground surface. The homestead organisation reflects pastoral and mixed farming practices typical of upland settlement in the Scottish Borders region across several centuries of occupation. The cultivation terraces demonstrate systematic modification of sloping ground to create level arable surfaces, a labour-intensive technique requiring community investment in the landscape.
Sourhope is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2432. The site's preservation allows study of settlement hierarchy, domestic architecture and agricultural innovation in the upland borderlands, contributing to understanding of long-term land use and social organisation in this region.
Sourhope,cultivation terraces,homestead & hut circles is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2432. View the official record →
Sourhope is a cultivation terraces, homestead and hut circles site located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2432.
Sourhope,cultivation terraces,homestead & hut circles 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 SM2432.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round cairn west of Windy Gyle, 680m WNW of Russell's Cairn (5.4 km), Windy Gyle,cairns 480m & 700m NE of summit of (5.5 km), Russell's Cairn on Windy Gyle (5.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Sourhope,cultivation terraces,homestead & hut circles'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.
Sourhope,cultivation terraces,homestead & hut circles stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.