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West Mains is an Iron Age enclosure and souterrain located in Angus, Scotland, and is protected by Historic Environment Scotland. The monument consists of a defended settlement with an underground stone-built chamber, typical of the later Iron Age communities that flourished across eastern Scotland. The souterrain—a distinctive feature of this period and region—would have served practical purposes related to storage or refuge within the settlement.
The site sits upon bedrock of the Stratheden Group, a sequence of sandstone and conglomerate that formed during the Late Devonian period. This geology would have directly influenced the construction of both the enclosure and the souterrain, with the available stone shaping both the defensive earthworks and the subterranean structure itself. The interbedded nature of the sandstone and conglomerate provided workable stone suitable for the careful construction techniques these communities employed.
Iron Age settlements with souterrains represent a significant phase of settlement and social organization in Angus, reflecting the established farming communities and defended homesteads of the period. The combination of surface enclosure and underground chamber at West Mains exemplifies the settlement strategies of Iron Age eastern Scotland, where such sites frequently cluster across the landscape of the region.
West Mains, enclosure and souterrain 265m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6218. View the official record →
West Mains is an Iron Age enclosure and souterrain located in Angus, Scotland, and is protected by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6218.
West Mains, enclosure and souterrain 265m NNE of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a enclosure and souterrain. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
West Mains, enclosure and souterrain 265m NNE 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 SM6218.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Raesmill Burn, unenclosed settlement 300m ESE of Anniston Mill (2.4 km), St Murdoch's Chapel, church and burial ground (3.5 km), Ethie Mains,fort 750m SE of (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of West Mains, enclosure and souterrain 265m NNE 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.
West Mains, enclosure and souterrain 265m NNE of stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.