The Dod Burn valley, though now much afforested, was once a populous region. The area is rich in prehistoric remains, and the stream which courses it (the Dod Burn) may form a part of the Catrail – a linear earthwork separating the low-lying farmlands around Hawick from the hillier up-river country to the southwest, possibly dating from the Middle Ages. In a clearing near the head of the stream there is the remains of a settlement, including foundations of longhouses, enclosures, and signs of rig-and-furrow cultivation. Similarly, atop nearby Dodburn hill, there are a group of archaeological remains, similar to those to the east on White Knowe, but more complex. They consist of a roughly oval enclosure, composed of double ramparts and ditches. There is also a hut circle inside the eastern side of the earthwork, contained within a roughly triangular enclosure.