Easter Cowden Enclosures Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, UK

Scheduled Monument Statement of Significance

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of prehistoric settlement and economy. The relationship between the two enclosures is important for our understanding of the chronological and functional development of these forms of enclosure.

Scheduled Monument Description

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The monument comprises the remains of two enclosed settlements of prehistoric date represented by cropmarks visible on oblique aerial photographs.

The monument lies on a relatively level area of arable ground at around 120m OD. It comprises two adjacent sub-rectangular enclosures defined by ditches approximately 5-6m wide. The N enclosure measures some 75m NW-SE by 75m with slightly rounded corners and no indication

of an entrance. Its NE side is partly formed by a steep natural slope.

The S enclosure is smaller, measuring approximately 60m NE-SW by 40m with a well defined entrance centrally positioned in its NE side. The corners of this enclosure are markedly sharper than those of the N enclosure. Both enclosures are of a type commonly ascribed to the period of Roman influence in southern Scotland.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the visible features and an area around them in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 200m NE-SW by 110m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Scheduled Monument References

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 36 NE 16.