West of Scotland Sites and Monuments Record

The West of Scotland SMR

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS) maintains the Sites and Monuments Record for eleven Councils in Argyll, the Clyde valley and Ayrshire. The SMR covers an area of around 13,000 square kilometers, including some of the most fascinating prehistoric landscapes in Britain, including Upper Clydesdale, the Kilmartin Valley, and Machrie Moor. With over 20,000 records at present, the SMR aims to be a comrehensive and up-to-date record of archaeological monuments, fieldwork and finds for this area.

As well as providing curatorial advice for development control and monument management purposes, WoSAS is keen to promote public access and enjoyment of the archaeology of the West of Scotland, and welcomes enquiries from members of the public and archaeological researchers. If you are carrying out research or fieldwork in our area, we would be pleased to provide information and assistance where possible, and in turn to receive any results into the SMR.

The information supplied to the Archaeology Data Service is a subset derived from the SMR, downloaded on 1st December 1998. It comprises:

Full information from the Sites and Monuments Record may be obtained from WoSAS. This includes full site descriptions, lists of bibliographic references, archive sources and available images, and more detailed grid references.

The West of Scotland SMR is building on, and structured around, data originally compiled in manual form by the Ordnance Survey, then computerised and augmented by RCAHMS as the National Monuments Record for Scotland (NMRS). The records have been compiled from a wide range of sources, and the SMR remains under continual development. Much information is held in manual form awaiting computerisation, and many geographical areas have not been archaeologically assessed for many years. We therefore cannot guarantee that the SMR is a complete or definitive record of the archaeology of the West of Scotland. We would encourage users to contact us with any new information or updates to existing records. This information exchange is essential for effective management of Scotland's archaeology: if we don't know what's out there, we can't protect it!

At present the NMRS holds a more extensive range of archive holdings for public consultation then the SMR, where the cataloguing and computerisation of image collections has only recently begun. Thus, the NMRS may be the more appropriate first port of call for those seeking detailed information. However if you are seeking information in relation to development proposals or land management, or if you are planning new fieldwork or research in the area, you are strongly advised to contact WoSAS directly for information and advice.

Most archaeological monuments are on private land, and the inclusion of information about a monument does not imply that it is publicly accessible. Many monuments are legally protected, and all are protected through a variety of planning and agri-environmental policies. No activity which may affect the condition of a monument, including intrusive archaeological investigations, should be undertaken without first consulting the West of Scotland Archaeology Service. For scheduled monuments Historic Scotland must be consulted.

Please contact WoSAS if you have any queries about the SMR records or require further information. All data provided from the SMR is supplied for internal purposes or private research, and the user is not entitled to copy or reproduce information originating from the SMR in the public domain without the written permission of the copyright holder. The West of Scotland SMR is produced by and is copyright of the West of Scotland Archaeology Service. It contains information derived from and copyright of RCAHMS, as well as information compiled by WoSAS.

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service is jointly funded by the Councils of Argyll & Bute, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire.

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Text copyright © West of Scotland Archaeology Service 1998