© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Sunderland Hill is an earthwork situated in Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders. The monument stands on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a formation of wacke deposits laid down during the Wenlock epoch of the Silurian period, which gives the underlying landscape its characteristic hard, resistant stone. This geological foundation has supported human activity in the region for millennia.
Earthworks of this type in the Borders region typically served defensive, territorial or administrative functions during the Iron Age or Early Medieval periods. The monument's survival on the Hawick Group bedrock, though subject to erosion over centuries, reflects the durable nature of the underlying geology. The site's specific form and relationship to the local landscape would have determined its strategic or ceremonial significance within its community.
The earthwork is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2146, recognising its archaeological and historical importance to the Scottish heritage record. This designation ensures that the site is safeguarded for future study and preservation, contributing to our understanding of settlement patterns and land use in the Scottish Borders during its period of construction and use.
Sunderland Hill,earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2146. View the official record →
Sunderland Hill is an earthwork situated in Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2146.
Sunderland Hill,earthwork 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 SM2146.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Peel Hill, motte and bailey castle, Selkirk (3.8 km), Philiphaugh,linear earthwork (5.1 km), Howden,motte (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Sunderland Hill,earthwork'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.
Sunderland Hill,earthwork stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.