White Meldon
{{Short description|Hillfort in Scottish Borders, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = White Meldon
|native_name =
|alternate_name =
|image = Hill fort, White Meldon summit - geograph.org.uk - 1391097.jpg
|image_size = 240px
|alt =
|caption = Part of a rampart on the north-east side of the summit
|map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders
|map_alt =
|map_size = 200px
|altitude_m = 427
|location = Near Lyne, Scotland
|region =
|coordinates = {{coord|55|40|22|N|3|14|34|W|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:GB}}
|gbgridref = NT 219 428
|type = Hillfort
|designation1 = Scheduled Monument
|designation1_number = SM114
|part_of =
|length =
|width =
|area =
|epochs = Iron Age
}}
White Meldon is a prehistoric site, a hillfort near the village of Lyne and about {{convert|4|mi|0}} west of Peebles, in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is a Scheduled Monument.{{Historic Environment Scotland|desc=Cairn and hill fort, White Meldon|num=SM114|access-date=4 December 2020}}
The hillfort on the neighbouring hill Black Meldon is about {{convert|1|mi|1}} to the west, on the other side of Meldon Burn.
Description
The hill has elevation {{convert|427|m}}, and it is a Marilyn;[https://www.themountainguide.co.uk/scotland/white-meldon.htm "White Meldon"] The Mountain Guide. Retrieved 4 December 2020. it is a large hill, overlooking to the west the valley of Meldon Burn. The fort has four concentric lines of defence. The inner two are incomplete; the third, a continuous wall in a ruined state, is about {{convert|3.5|m}} wide, measuring {{convert|260|m}} north–south by {{convert|167|m}} west–east, enclosing an area of about {{convert|2.9|ha}}. Inside this area, the remains of at least 29 round-houses have been discerned, some of which are well-defined platforms.{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=51528 |num2=NT24SW 12 |desc=White Meldon |fewer-links=yes |access-date=20 June 2025}}
There are fragments of an outermost rampart, which may not have been finished. The fort may have been built in stages, expanding from the innermost defence, the incomplete outer defence being the last stage; but the sequence of building has not been definitely established.
At the foot of the western slope of White Meldon, at {{gbmapping|NT 2140 4290}}, is a fortified enclosure, on a shelf above the eastern bank of Meldon Burn. It is oval, about {{convert|68|m}} north–south and {{convert|52|m}} west–east, the single rampart being up to {{convert|2.1|m}} high. More than half of the interior is occupied by a later settlement, with a wall that on the west side incorporates the earlier construction.{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=51531 |num2=NT24SW 15 |desc=Meldon Burn |fewer-links=yes |access-date=20 June 2025}} The enclosure is a scheduled monument, no. SM3165.{{Historic Environment Scotland|desc=White Meldon, enclosures W of|num=SM3165|fewer-links=yes |access-date=5 December 2020}}
There is a group of nine house platforms on the north-western slope of the hill, at {{gbmapping|NT 2183 4357}}; they have diameter {{convert|11|–|18|m}}.{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=51534 |num2=NT24SW 18 |desc=White Meldon |fewer-links=yes |access-date=20 June 2025}} The group is a scheduled monument, no. SM2712.{{Historic Environment Scotland|desc=White Meldon, platform settlement 730m NNW of|num=SM2712|fewer-links=yes |access-date=5 December 2020}}
References
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Hillforts in Scotland}}
Category:Hill forts in Scotland
Category:Archaeological sites in the Scottish Borders
Category:Scheduled monuments in the Scottish Borders