Newlands Hill
Linear Earthwork (Period Unknown)
Site Name Newlands Hill
Classification Linear Earthwork (Period Unknown)
Canmore ID 56107
Site Number NT56NE 8
NGR NT 58418 65009
NGR Description Centre
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56107
- Council East Lothian
- Parish Garvald And Bara
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NT56NE 8 5852 6515 to 5833 6486
A sinuous ditch with an earthen bank on its lower (N) side runs for about 150 yds across the face of Newlands Hill some 200 yds from its foot (1200ft OD). The ditch is 7ft to 9ft broad and 2ft to 3ft deep; the rampart is 7ft to 10ft broad and 2ft to 4ft above the ditch. Towards the E end of the ditch a number of circular hollows, about 5ft in diameter, some almost contiguous, are excavated to a depth of 1ft below the bottom of the ditch.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 1915
The purpose of this work is obscure. It is clearly not defensive, nor does it seem to have acted as a boundary or a road block as it lies on the slope of the hill and is open on either end. The filling of the pits at the E end is soft and probing suggests that they were originally much deeper.
RCAHMS MSS, visited 1954
Centred NT 584 650. There is nothing about this ditch and upcast bank to suggest that it is an antiquity; the three places where the bank turns down into natural gullies being very suggestive of recent drainage. The pits at the E end appear to be simply an unfinished portion of the ditch.
Visited by OS (JTT) 23 September 1965
NT 5852 6515 to NT 5833 6486. This linear, as described, is of doubtful archaeological significance.
Visited by OS (JRL) 12 June 1979.
Field Visit (5 June 1913)
About 600 yards south of Green Castle fort, across the face of Newlands Hill some 200 yards from its foot and at an elevation of 1200 feet above sea-level, is a sinuous ditch with an earthen wall on the northern or lower side running for about 150 yards from east to west. The ditch is 7 to 9 feet broad and 2 to 3 feet deep and the rampart is 7 to 10 feet broad, 2 to4 feet above the ditch and 3 to 5 feet above the slope outside. Towards the eastern end of the ditch a number of circular hollows, with a diameter of about 5 feet, some almost contiguous, are excavated to a depth of 1 foot below the bottom of the trench.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 5 June 1913.
Field Visit (2 June 1954)
Rampart and Ditch, Newlands Hill, (Inventory No. 53).
The Inventory description is adequate and accurate, but the purpose of the work is quite obscure. It is clearly not defensive, but neither does it makes sense as a boundary or road-block, since it lies on the slope of the hill and is open on either end. The pits at the E end may hold the key to the puzzle; the filling is soft and probing suggests they were originally much deeper.
Visited by RCAHMS (KAS) 2 June 1954.
Note (30 September 2019)
The location, classification and period of this site have been reviewed.
