Scheduled monuments
Scheduling is the process used to give legal protection to important archaeological sites and monuments. These sites are added to a list called the schedule.
This protection is set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Historic England leads the identification of sites in England for inclusion on the schedule.
The government has identified nationally important monuments since the Ancient Monuments Act of 1882. This law was the first to protect heritage in the United Kingdom.
Current legislation requires Scheduled Monument Consent for any work that affects a scheduled monument.
Scheduling is the only form of legal protection specifically for archaeological sites. For more information, visit the Historic England website.