Park Law

NT81NE 2 from 8485 1981 to 8521 1960

See also NT81NE 23.

(Centred NT 84969 19650) Earthworks (NR)

OS 6" map, Berwickshire, (1923).

The large enclosure which adjoins the fort on Park Law (NT81NW 23) on the SE, though marked 'Earthworks' on the OS map, is only one of a number of field boundaries, probably of quite late date, which are to be seen elsewhere on the hill.

RCAHMS 1956, visited 1948.

Not an antiquity.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 29 August 1960 and (EGC) 24 June 1968.

An enclosure takes in most of the very gently rounded summit of the ridge linking the prominent spur of Park Law with the massif of Bonnie Laws to the SE. It is defined by an earth bank measuring 1.5m in width and up to 0.5m in height, which generally follows the 305m contour. It encloses an area measuring 215m from NW to SE by 95m from NE to SW. The E end of the enclosure appears to overlie the W extent of an area of contour cultivation (NT81NE 60) whilst on the NE it appears to ride over the SE end of the outer bank of lower enclosure of Park Law fort (NT81NW 23). The exact relationship with the fort is, however, obscured by the construction of massive drystone walls (which are very late in the sequence) over the critical areas, perhaps the result of field clearance. Apart from by the fort entrance, there are no apparent gaps in the enclosure circuit, except for a 60m break at the SE end. Here the bank forming the SW side of the enclosure drops away down the slope in a series of steps to the N and E of the enclosure and homestead at NT 8500 1935 (NT81NE 1). A small area of cross-contour rig (NT81NE 71) is bounded by the angles of this bank. Internally there are extensive traces of both cord rig (NT81NE 46 and NT81NE 54) and cross-contour rig cultivation (NT81NE 59).

Information from RJ Mercer (University of Edinburgh) 16 to 17 March 1986

RCAHMS MS 2598, No. 27/383