Fundhope Rig
Linear Earthwork (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Fundhope Rig
Classification Linear Earthwork (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 58992
Site Number NT81NE 24
NGR NT 86672 17508
NGR Description From NT 8672 1754 to NT 8664 1746
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/58992
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Morebattle
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Roxburgh
- Former County Roxburghshire
NT81NE 24 from 8672 1754 to 8664 1746
( NT 8672 1754 to NT 8664 1746) Earthwork (NR)
OS 6" map, (1962).
This linear earthwork originates in the S face of a knoll at the S end of Fundhope Rig. Here, it is no more than a small notch in the hillside, but as it curves W round the knoll towards the neck that joins Fundhope Rig with White Knowe it rapidly increases in size. Immediately beyond the gap, 24' wide, by which an old road breaks through it the work swings SW and continues in that direction to a total length of about 124 yds. Towards its SW end it becomes a mere terrace and finally fades out on the steep slope.
RCAHMS 1956, visited 1946.
As described above.
Visited by OS (JLD) 24 August 1960.
No change.
Revised at 1:10 000.
Visited by OS (TRG) 9 August 1976.
Crossing the neck of ground between the S end of Fundhope Rig and the rising ground of White Knowe to the W, there is a linear earthwork. It commences, on an E to W alignment, some 20m to the SW of the settlement, on Fundhope Rig (NT81NE 23) and continues W for about 20m. At this point it is intersected by a braided sunken hollow-way or road, which measures about 6m across. On resumption, after a break of about 10m skewed across the hollow-way, the earthwork adopts a NE to SW alignment and continues for about 72m degenerating into little more than a terrace before ending on the moderately steep slope of White Knowe. Except at either end , the earthwork comprises a bank, spread up to 4m in width and standing up to 0.8m in height over a ditch on the N, or uphill. The ditch averages 2.1m in width.
The position of the ditch on the uphill side may indicate control of grazing on the relatively moderate slopes to the N (either to protect crops on the slopes below to the S or to control movement of cattle on high summer grazings), perhaps in conjunction with the settlement of Fundhope Rig itself. Whilst it is tempting to view the juxtaposition of the earthwork with the hollow-way as contemporary, the relationship between these two features suggests that the track cuts through the earthwork which had long gone out of use. Rigs, noted by the RCAHMS investigators below the linear earthwork (RCAHMS investigators notebook 19 May 1938) could not be located, in an area cut by drains, at the date of visit.
Information from RJ Mercer (University of Edinburgh) 15 March 1986
RCAHMS MS 2598. No. 47/619
