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Steer Rig is a palisaded settlement located 820 metres east-north-east of Old Halterburnhead in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. The site occupies volcanic bedrock of Silurian to Devonian age, composed of mafic lava and tuff formed during the Devonian period. This ancient geology provided a naturally stable foundation for the settlement's construction.
Palisaded settlements of this type represent a form of defended domestic occupation characteristic of later prehistory and the early historic period in northern Britain. The enclosing timber palisade would have provided both protective and symbolic functions, distinguishing the inhabitants' status and delineating their domestic space within the landscape. Such settlements were typically inhabited for extended periods before abandonment.
Steer Rig is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM4558, recognising its archaeological significance and the potential for subsurface remains to survive within the monument's extents. The site contributes to understanding settlement patterns and defensive strategies in the borderland region during the periods when palisade fortifications were in use.
Steer Rig,palisaded settlement 820m ENE of Old Halterburnhead is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4558. View the official record →
Steer Rig is a palisaded settlement located 820 metres east-north-east of Old Halterburnhead in Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4558.
Steer Rig,palisaded settlement 820m ENE of Old Halterburnhead 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 SM4558.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Camp Tops,fort,linear earthwork and field system (7.3 km), Camp Tops,linear earthwork (7.5 km), Hayhope Knowe,palisaded settlement,settlement & field systems (7.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Steer Rig,palisaded settlement 820m ENE of Old Halterburnhead'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.
Steer Rig,palisaded settlement 820m ENE of Old Halterburnhead stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.