Kingside School
Enclosure (Period Unassigned), Stone Row (Neolithic) - (Bronze Age)
Site Name Kingside School
Classification Enclosure (Period Unassigned), Stone Row (Neolithic) - (Bronze Age)
Alternative Name(s) Whiteadder Water; Whiteadder Reservoir; Kell Burn; Penshiel
Canmore ID 57543
Site Number NT66SW 2
NGR NT 6433 6421
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/57543
- Council East Lothian
- Parish Whittingehame
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NT66SW 2 6433 6421.
(NT 6433 6421) Stones (NR)
OS 1:10000 map (1981)
Walled Enclosure and Setting of Small Stones, Kingside School: On the ridge between the Whiteadder Water (now Whiteadder Reservoir) and the Kell Burn, at an elevation of 850ft OD, are the remains of a stone wall, enclosing a roughly oval area measuring 108 yds N-S by 83 yds transversely. Only traces of this wall remains on the N and S, but on the edge of the steep slope to the W the wall is 1ft high internally and 7ft broad at the base. There are traces of an external ditch on the N. The road from Gifford to Priestlaw cuts through the E side of the enclosure, and there are indications that the wall carried along the E side of the road on the tope of the slope overlooking the Whiteadder. There are signs of an entrance, 20ft wide, at the N end, and opposite it, 20ft nearer the centre of the enclosure, are two large stones 6ft apart.
Within the enclosure is a setting of five small stones. Four of the stones are set on end, rising from 9 to 17 ins above ground, and are placed so as to form a rectangle measuring about 10ft WNW-ESE by 7ft transversely. A fifth stone lies near the centre of the SW side of the setting.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 1913
This enclosure, centred NT 6434 6419, is generally as described by the RCAHMS. It has two likely entrances, one in the NW, the other in the SE side. The course of the wall is uncertain N of the SE entrance as several old tracks appear to cut through the wall here; the NE side of the enclosure has been destroyed The setting of stones is as described by the RCAHMS.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 14 April 1966
This enclosure has been completely destroyed, but three small stones of the stone setting still survive in line. The first stands about 0.3m high, while the second, now prostrate, is about 0.4m long. The third just protrudes above the surface.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (RD) 29 November 1971
A good alignment of stones; declinations of the resulting azimuths (129.8 or about SE and 309.8 or nearly NW) have been measured. The results were - 19.7 in the former case, which could indicate a lunar 'solstice', and +23.5 in the latter, which is near the summer solstice sunset.
E W MacKie 1975.
Stones [NAT]
OS 1:10,000 map, 1981.
Scheduled as Penshiel, cairn and stone setting.
Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 23 March 2001.
Field Visit (19 May 1913)
246. Setting of Small Stones, Kingside School.
Within the walled area 150 yards north of Kingside School (No. 220) and 13 yards west of the Gifford and Priestlaw Road, at an elevation of about 900 feet above sea-level, is a setting of five small stones. Four of the stones are set on end, rising from 9 to 17 inches above ground, and are placed so as to form a rectangle measuring about 10 feet in length and 7 feet in breadth with the longer axis lying west-north-west and east-south-east. A fifth stone lying flat is placed near the centre of the south-western side.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 19 May 1913.
OS Map ref: xvi. S.E. (unnoted).
Field Visit (19 May 1913)
220. Walled Enclosure, Kingside School.
About 150 yards north-west of Kingside School on the ridge between the Whitadder and theKell Burn, at an elevation of 850 feet above sea-level, are the remains of a stone wall, which encloses an area roughly oval in outline with its longer axis running north and south and measuring 108 yards in length by 83 yards in breadth. Only traces of the wall are seen at the north and south ends, but on the edge of the steep declivity on the west, falling some 40 feet to the haugh on the left bank of the Kell Burn, which flows some 50 yards distant, are the remains of a wall now 7 feet broad at the base and rising 1 foot above the inside level; outside on the north are traces of a ditch. The road from Gifford to Priestlaw cuts through the east side of the enclosure, and there are indications of the wall having been carried along the east side of the road on the top of the slope overlooking the Whitadder. Signs of an entrance 20 feet wide are seen at the north end, and opposite it, 20 feet nearer the centre of the enclosure, are two large stones 6 feet apart. The Setting of Small Stones (No. 244 [sic]) is placed near the centre of this enclosure.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 19 May 1913.
OS Map ref: xvi. S.E. (unnoted).
