Site type SOUTERRAIN
Canmore ID 54797
Site Number NT46SW 11
NGR NT 4001 6191
Council MIDLOTHIAN
Parish CRICHTON
Former Region LOTHIAN
Former District MIDLOTHIAN
Former County MIDLOTHIAN

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Archaeological Notes

NT46SW 11 4001 6191

This well-preserved souterrain, which was re-roofed in the 19th century, is situated on the N side of a low ridge 300m WNW of the fort NT46SW 10. The curved chamber measures 15.7m in length and tapers from 2m in breadth at the SE end to 1.5m at the NW end. The partly buried lintel of a possible entrance is visible at the NW end, but today access to the chamber can only be gained from the NE through a side passage with a low 'creep'. The walls of both the chamber and the side passage incorporate numerous blocks of Roman ashlar, and one of the eight original lintels of the chamber appears to bear carving in relief of a roughly executed Pegasus, the emblem of Legio II Augusta. It is probable that the Roman material was removed from an adjacent military road-post, probably of Antonine date.
Rosehill 1871; A J H Edwards 1925; RCAHMS 1929; L J F Keppie and B J Arnold 1984; H Welfare 1984; RCAHMS 1988
Visited by OS (BS) 30 July 1975.

Armit and Ralston, I and I B M (2003) 'The Iron Age', in Edwards, K J and Ralston, I B M Scotland after the Ice Age: environment, archaeology and history 8000BC - AD 1000 Edinburgh
Page(s): 183

Armit, I (1998i) Scotland's hidden history, Stroud, Gloucestershire
Page(s): 87-8 Figs 50-1 Held at RCAHMS E.2.1.ARM

Baldwin, J (1997) Edinburgh, Lothians and the Borders, Exploring Scotland's Heritage series Edinburgh
Page(s): 173 No. 85 Held at RCAHMS A.1.4.HER

Baldwin, J R (1985) Exploring Scotland's heritage: Lothian and the Borders, Exploring Scotland's heritage series Edinburgh
Page(s): 131-2, no. 76 Held at RCAHMS A.1.4.HER

Edwards, A J H (1925) 'Excavation of a chambered cairn at Ham, Caithness, and of a hut-circle and two earth-houses at Freswick Links, Caithness. With a note on a winged horse carved on one side of the lintels in the earth-house at Crichton Mains, Midlothian', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol.59
Page(s): 94-5

Keppie and Arnold, L J F and B J (1984) Corpus Imperii Romani: (Corpus of Roman Sculpture) Great Britain, fasc. iv (Scotland), London
Page(s): 21, no.58

Miket, R (2002) 'The souterrains of Skye', in Ballin Smith, B and Banks, I In the shadow of the brochs: the Iron Age in Scotland, A celebration of the work of Dr. Euan MacKie on the Iron Age of Scotland Stroud
Page(s): 81, 85

RCAHMS (1929) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Tenth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the counties of Midlothian and West Lothian, Edinburgh
Page(s): 53-4, No.61 Held at RCAHMS A.1.1.INV/10

RCAHMS (1988b) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Midlothian (prehistoric to early historic), Midlothian District, Lothian Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 28 Edinburgh
Page(s): 22, No.81 Held at RCAHMS A.1.2.ARC/28

Rosehill, Lord (1871a) 'Notice of an underground chamber recently discovered at Crichton Mains', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol.8
Page(s): 105-9

Welfare, H (1984) 'The southern souterrains', in Miket, R and Burgess, C Between and beyond the Walls: essays on the prehistory and history of North Britain in honour of George Jobey Edinburgh
Page(s): 305-23