Parallel pit lines and an adjacent enclosure preserve a ceremonial and settlement landscape that is almost invisible at ground level.
Quick facts
- Date
- Neolithic cursus; enclosure of uncertain prehistoric date
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric builders not identified
- Type
- Cropmark cursus and palisaded enclosure
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM7172)
- OS grid reference
- NO 19742 44775
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Cropmarks reveal two rows of pits about twenty metres apart and extending for more than one hundred metres. Immediately beside them, further marks define parts of a small rectilinear palisaded enclosure and a possible timber structure.
Its story
The cursus belongs to a Neolithic tradition of elongated ceremonial avenues. The neighbouring enclosure may be contemporary or may represent a later phase of settlement, but neither has been resolved by excavation in the designation record.
Why it is included
Scheduling protects the buried deposits because they can contribute evidence about Neolithic ritual, construction and the changing use of the Ericht valley.
What to notice
- The broad level river terrace occupied by the buried monument.
- Its relationship to the River Ericht and surrounding arable land.
- Aerial imagery rather than surface earthworks as the main evidence.
Reading the surroundings
Do not enter crops or private farmland to seek features that may not be visible. Observe only from lawful routes, keep dogs under close control and never detect, excavate or collect material.
Timeline
- Neolithic period Pit rows created a long ceremonial avenue across the terrace.
- Later prehistory A small palisaded enclosure may have reused the neighbouring ground.
- 1996 The cropmark complex received legal protection as a scheduled monument.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The enclosure’s date and relationship to the cursus are unresolved, and crop visibility changes with season, soil moisture and cultivation.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Milton of Rattray Cursus and Enclosed Settlement, SM7172 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM7172 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
Location
OS grid reference NO 19742 44775 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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