ruins of shielings are abundant in high or marginal land in scotland and northern england, along with place-names containing "shield" or their gaelic equivalents, with names such as pollokshields in glasgow, arinagour on the island of coll, galashiels in the scottish borders and "shiels brae" near bewcastle. some were constructed of turf and tend to gradually erode and disappear but traces of stone-built structures persist. some shielings are mediaeval in origin and were occasionally occupied permanently after abandonment of the transhumance system. the construction of associated structures such as stack-stands and enclosures indicate that in these cases they became farmsteads, some of which evolved into modern farms.