Scheduled Ancient Monuments - Scotland

Scheduled monuments are nationally important monuments and sites. The aim of scheduling is to preserve sites and monuments as far as possible in the form in which they have come down to us today. They are legally protected through the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

National importance takes account of a wide range of factors, including artistic, archaeological, architectural, historic, traditional, aesthetic, scientific and social. Guidance and criteria to assess national importance of monuments is set out by Scottish Ministers in The Scottish Historic Environment Policy.

This data allows you to identify the approximate position, size and extent of scheduled monuments in Scotland.Scheduling is an ongoing process. We assess and reassess monuments as our knowledge and understanding of what survives and its importance changes. Sometimes monuments are amended to bring the maps and descriptions up-to-date. Data is updated on weekly basis unless no cases have been brought forward.

Designation polygons were originally derived from legal documentation. Amendments are informed by a combination of methods: field visits; differential GPS; aerial photography and OS mapping (Mastermap - scale 1:2500).