Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM11548_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014021)

Summary

Description

This monument comprises the remains of a chambered cairn dating to the Early Bronze Age. It is visible as a sub-circular setting of monoliths wholly contained within the back garden of a private residential property at around 200m above sea level.

The monument belongs to a class known as Clava cairns. Several examples of these are found in the Clava area as well as more widely in Strathnairn. The cairn measures approximately 11.5m in diameter and is bounded by a low circular concrete retaining wall. All cairn material has been robbed but two sections of upright kerbstones up to 1m high remain on the E and W sides of the cairn. The remainder of the kerb consists of prone stones. The tomb has an internal passage that runs from the SSW, towards a slightly offset central chamber. 19th century accounts lead us to infer that the cairn was originally surrounded by a stone circle. Long grass covers the ground between and around the stones.

The area to be scheduled is sub-circular on plan, to include the remains described above, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above-ground elements of the modern circular retaining wall are specifically excluded from the scheduling to allow for its maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's archaeological significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics: The monument retains several of the key field characteristics of its class (the Clava cairn): a defined outer kerb, central burial chamber and evidence for a surrounding stone circle. Present evidence does not permit us to tell if the kerbstones ever showed the characteristic grading of size towards the SW often found in this class of monument. Many of the stones have fallen over, some may have been moved in more modern times and some lie in a prone state. Several researchers note the apparently unique shape of this monument's central chamber. As with other examples, the passage leads towards the centre of the cairn from the SSW but does not widen out into a differentiated circular space. Instead, the central chamber extends into a slightly wider aisle that stops roughly in the centre of the cairn. Archaeological fieldwork at other similar sites has shown how complex the development of these types of burial monument and their components are. This cairn is a good example of the wider class of burial monuments, not just because of this unique structure. Material lying underneath the monument is also likely to provide information about the climate, flora and fauna and wider environment during the Early Bronze Age in this location.

Contextual characteristics: This is an example of a Clava cairn, a geographically specific type of Bronze Age burial monument. Only around 50 examples exist and they are generally limited to NE Scotland around Inverness, Strathnairn and the Moray Firth. This monument forms part of the southernmost group of similar examples in Strathnairn but occupies a slightly different landscape position to the other examples. It lies further away from the river (a tributary of the River Nairn) on a terrace and is not immediately visible from its nearest neighbour, a ring-cairn monument at Tordarroch.

Associative characteristics: There is a long established antiquarian interest in this monument dating back to published surveys of 1884 when the monument was known as Croftcroy. It is also a well-known monument locally. It is the view of most prehistorians that there was an intimate relationship between the religious beliefs expressed by monuments such as Tordarroch, the surrounding landscape and the movements of the main astronomical bodies. This astronomical link continues to generate considerable interest today.

National Importance: This monument is of national importance because it represents a rare and regionally distinctive class of Early Bronze Age monument that can help us to understand burial and ritual practices in NE Scotland and their relationship to practices elsewhere. It is a significant, single component of a much larger prehistoric landscape partly defined by the River Nairn and displays a rare variation in its layout and internal form. It can contribute to our understanding of the development of monument complexes. The loss of the monument would affect our future ability to appreciate and understand the prehistoric landscape and its inhabitants.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.