Forestry Survey: Arbuthnott, Aberdeenshire
Date 8 June 1998
Event ID 990689
Category Project
Type Project
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/990689
The Arbuthnott WGS survey covered an area of approximately 230 ha of land around Arbuthnott House, Arbuthnott, Aberdeenshire (OS 1:10,000 sheets NO 77 SE & NE and NO 87 SW & NW). It is divided into numerous different compartments.
A number of archaeological sites are known to lie within the area of the survey and all were visited during the course of fieldwork. The planting scheme extends to within close proximity of a promontory fort known as Castle Dykes (NMRS NO 87 SW 1) in the eastern part of the survey area, a number of cairns at Banff Hill (NMRS NO 77 SE 24) to the south and a prominent long cairn of probable Neolithic date just to the North of the Hillhead plantation (NMRS NO 77 NE 8).
Much of the survey area presently support mature conifer and broadleaf woodland while other areas have only been planted in the last 1-10 years. The northern part of the Hillhead plantation was the only area which is presently treeless and supporting a heath vegetation dominated by heather. It is, however, clear from the Robertson 1822 and later Ordnance Survey maps that it was wooded during the 19th and early part of 20th century.
T Holden and C Lowe (Headland Archaeology) 8 June 1998; NMRS MS 899/90
