Building record MAB26395 - HILLHEAD, CHARLESTON

Consumption dyke.

Consumption dyke. Unfortunately it is not known by whom or when this dyke was built. More work remains to be done on the dykes in this area. The Ordnance Survey maps suggest that this dyke was built before 1867. Although consumption dykes are not entirely unique to the north east of Scotland they are not found in any substantial numbers elsewhere in the world. They are dykes which result from the very rocky nature of the ground in the north east of Scotland and are associated with the period of agricultural improvements from the 18th century. Part of this movement involved clearing new ground of stones to create new fields. The excessive number of rocks and boulders in Aberdeen made this particularly arduous. The cleared rocks could be put to a number of different uses: if it was economical they could be sold off and shipped elsewhere. Many of the boulders and stones cleared in the north east were made into paving slabs in London. But where there were too many or where the distance to move them to the coast for transportation was too high they were often formed into consumption dykes. These dykes 'consumed' the stones cleared from the land. Technically these dykes may be defined as ones which are broader than they are tall. Historically they have also been known as Aberdeenshire Dykes and Consuming Dykes. They perform two functions: firstly to delineate a field boundary as all dykes do and secondly to use up the excess of stones. In some cases they also perform a third aesthetic function. In certain cases they have paths laid out along the top of them and are very much monuments to the taste of the estate landowner who had them created. Survey by Headland Archaeology ahead of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route noted that the dyke was in poor condition and partially collapsed, particularly at the western end. Sample excavation by Headland Archaeology in 2013 showed the dyke to comprise a mix of large, medium and small granite boulders and field stones. No facing was obvious in the section excavated.

BABTIE GROUP, 2004, ABERDEEN WESTERN PERIPHERAL ROUTE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-BASED STUDY & WALKOVER SURVEY. VOL 1: TEXT, VOL 2 GAZETTEER, Site 21 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3745.

CROLY, C, 2004, CONSUMPTION DYKES ON THE ESTATE OF CHARLESTON (Bibliographic reference). SAB7077.

HEADLAND ARCHAEOLOGY, 2014, ABERDEEN WESTERN PERIPHERAL ROUTE LOT 3 - SOUTHERN LEG: ASSESSMENT REPORT ON TRIAL TRENCHING AND SAMPLE EXCAVATIONS. (Bibliographic reference). SAB4451.

ARCAHEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2015, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 15, 2014, pp. 13-14 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5542.

Record last edited

May 30 2025 2:37PM