GLOSSARY
accessible historic features Historic features are an important part of the cultural heritage, contributing greatly to its local distinctiveness and character. They include such things as gateposts, crosses and memorial stones or structures such as wells, ash houses and bee boles. Many of these may no longer be in use but in need of some attention to ensure their survival.
balustrades A parapet or stair rail composed of moulded, square or circular shafts in stone, wood, or iron metal, standing on a unifying footing.
coffin way A coffin way was used before there were any roads to carry the dead, in their coffins from farms etc. to the closest church.
coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management in which young tree stems are cut down to a low level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge and after a number of years the cycle begins again and the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested again .Typically a coppice woodland is harvested in sections, on a rotation. In this way each year a crop is available. This has the side-effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different aged stools growing in it which is beneficial for biodiversity. The cycle length depends upon the species cut, the local custom, and the use to which the product is put. Birch can be coppiced for faggots on a 3- or 4-year cycle, whereas oak can be coppiced over a 50-year cycle for poles or firewood.
Conservation area this is an area designated under the Planning (listed Building and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. Contact your local authority planning department if you are not sure if your proposal is located within a Conservation Area.
Crags A steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward, especially a cliff or vertical rock exposure in the north of England or in Scotland.
dovecots A dovecote or doocot is a building constructed to house pigeons or doves, the flesh and eggs of which were an important source of food. The droppings were also an important source of chemicals, being used as fertilizer and as a source of nitrates in the manufacture of gunpowder. In Scotland the usual term is 'doocot' and the tradition is continued in modern urban areas.
Drove road There is a long tradition of herding cattle between England and Scotland, and within Scotland, our countryside is crossed by numerous drove roads that were used for this trade, many of which are now no more than tracks, and some lost altogether. The most characteristic feature of these roads is the occasional dog-leg turn in the road which provided cover for animals and men in severe rain or snow. If you would like to find out if you have a drove road on your land you can speak to ScotwWays or Historic Scotland. Alternatively you may find the book Haldane, ARB, The Drove Roads of Scotland, re-print of 1952 edn (Birlinn General, 2006).
drystone dyke(s)/dyking A dry-stone wall, also known as a dry-stone dyke, 'drystane dyke', dry-stone hedge, or rock fence is a wall that is constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. As with other dry stone structures, the wall is held up by the interlocking of the stones. Such walls are used, both in building construction and, as field boundaries.
enclosed routes are enclosed access routes, that are enclosed either by woodland, landform [hyperlink to glossary] buildings, high walls or fences.
fank a walled enclosure or gathering pen for sheep usually made of stone. They can also be called stells or buchts. Usually found out on the hill, they can still give much needed shelter, or act as holding pens for sheep in need of special attention.
flagstone & flagstone walls Flagstone is a type of flat stone, usually used for paving, and for floor slabs within buildings. Other common uses include fences along field boundaries, and the walls and roofs of buildings. It may also be used for making memorials or headstones in cemeteries. The most famous form of flagstone can be found in Caithness (and neighbouring Orkney).
flailing In an effort to facilitate weed seed germination, mowing height will be reduced, and shrubs/trees will be thinned with a vertical flailing knife unit
folly An extravagant, frivolous or fanciful building, designed more for artistic expression than for practicality. The term comes from the fact that such structures have often been dubbed "[name of architect or builder]'s Folly", in the sense of foolishness, fun or light-heartedness. Particularly because some follies were built by one individual alone, such as the massive complex by Ferdinand Cheval. However, very few follies are completely without a practical purpose. Apart from their decorative aspect, many originally had a use which was lost later, such as hunting towers. Follies are often found in parks or large grounds of houses and stately homes. Some were deliberately built to look partially ruined. They were especially popular from the end of the 16th century to the 18th century.
gate piers A pier of brick, masonry or iron to which the hinges of a gate are attached.
gate post A stone or iron post to which the hinges of a gate are attached. Early cast-iron examples often bear the name of the foundry in which they were manufactured, and match similar posts and stiles within associated fences, forming a distinct historic element within the landscape.
Generic feature types Features specific to certain architecture types or eras such as trilithon for the purposes of this article are not considered generic. Generic features are feature types that can come from a broad section in time of the archaeological record if not all of it. Generic types can include: Cuts Re-cuts Pits Post holes Stake holes Construction cuts Robber trenches Walls Foundations Ditches Drains Wells Cisterns Hearths Stairs and steps Enclosures Lynchets Graves Burials Middens Pit-houses
ha-has A type of boundary to a garden, pleasure-ground, or park, designed not to interrupt the view and to be invisible until closely approached. The ha-ha consists of a trench, the inner side of which is perpendicular and faced with stone, with the outer slope face sloped and turfed - making it in effect a sunken fence.
Head dykes Usually earthen boundaries or stone walls separating the bulk of the in-bye land from the hill land.
important tree features Trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order by your local authority can be po
knolls A small natural hill.
Landforms are categorised by features such as elevation, slope, orientation, stratification, rock exposure, and soil type. Landforms include berms, mounds, hills, cliffs and valleys.
Military road During the 18th century, the threat and reality of Jacobite rebellion in Scotland led to a significant militarisation of the country by government forces. Several medieval and Cromwellian forts were repaired and redeveloped, and wholly new garrisons were planned and constructed. In addition, over 250 miles of military roads were built to link the network of new forts, along with over 40 new bridges. You can get further information on the locations of all of the Military roads in Scotland on the National Library of Scotland website at the following link http://www.nls.uk/maps/military/index.html
National Scenic Areas (NSAs) National Scenic Areas are Scotland's only landscape designation. These are areas across Scotland considered to be of national significance on the basis of their outstanding scenic interests. There are 40 NSAs in Scotland.
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature conservation sites across Europe. In Scotland these sites comprise both Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats and species. In addition, if there is land that SNH is currently undertaking consultation on its potential for inclusion such as pSPAs, as part of the network this will also be considered as if it was a designated Natura site.
plinths An architecural term describing the platform or base upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument, or structure rests.
roundel A small group of trees, usually planted in a round or oval shape, often in a highly visible location or as part of a designed landscape. They may be surrounded by a perimeter wall.
salters road The name given to part of a route believed to have been used by salt traders in the medieval period.
Scheduled Ancient Monument A 'nationally important' archaeological site given protection against unauthorised change by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act of 1979, of which there are over 8,000 in Scotland. If you want to learn more about the history of Ancient Monuments legislation see the Historic Scotland website.
senescence the combination of processes of deterioration which follow the period of development of an organism. The word senescence is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old man" or "old age."
stele a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerary or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living-inscribed, carved in relief (bas-relief, sunken-relief, high-relief, etc), or painted onto the slab. Stelae were also used as territorial markers, as the boundary stelae of Akhenaton at Amarna, or to commemorate military victories. Unfinished standing stones, set up without inscriptions from Libya in North Africa to Scotland were monuments of pre-literate Megalithic cultures in the Late Stone Age. An obelisk is a specialized kind of stele. The Celtic high crosses of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are specialized stelae. Gravestones with inscribed epitaph are also kinds of stelae.
stone stiles the older examples were often made of stone, such as granite, whinstone, sandstone or limestone. Occasionally standing stones have been moved and re-used as gateposts. Bricks are frequently used and some are made from stones or small boulders, tending to be cylindrical in shape. These are a form of gate which permits people through or over an entrance but which blocks the passage of animals. The shape of the stile gateposts is variable, mostly being oblong and square in section, however some were 'tombstone' shaped, having two flat sides and a curved top.
thin the selective removal of branches to reduce the density of a tree/shrub whilst maintaining its size (not to be confused with reduction).
top of knolls the top of a small natural hill.
Tree Preservation Order this is an order under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. You can check with your local authority if your tree/trees are subject to a Tree Preservation Order.
whips are 150 - 180 cm trees known as whips.