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

  SM11738_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014080)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises a turf-covered burial cairn, likely to date to about 4500-3500 years ago. It lies in the middle of a field 340m uphill and W of Levrattich.

The round cairn measures about 14.5m in diameter and varies in height from 1.0m to 1.5m on its southern side. In otherwise fairly good condition, the northern arc of the monument has been damaged due to a cattle feeding stance being placed at the site.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, centred on the middle of the cairn (NH 94477 45684), to include the visible remains of the cairn and an area around within which evidence relating to its construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

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

Intrinsic characteristics: This Bronze Age burial cairn has impressive upstanding remains and appears relatively undisturbed, despite a degree of cattle damage to the northern arc and ploughing having accentuated the perimeter. The monument as a whole is clearly visible in the landscape, being on a gently sloping hillside above a deep river valley, and the cairn potentially preserves archaeological deposits relating to Bronze Age burial rites within it.

Contextual characteristics: Comparing and contrasting the cairn to nearby Bronze Age funerary monuments can enable an understanding of how people positioned such sites within the landscape, as well as provide contexts for identity and society. Round cairns often contain a central cist with an inhumation and grave goods, and given the fair condition of this monument, potential exists for this monument to add value to the knowledge and understanding of the group as a whole.

Associative characteristics: The deliberate positioning of the cairn, on a gently sloping hillside with good views over the valley below, adds an aesthetic attribute to its overall significance. Prehistoric people designed the cairn so they could see over the landscape from it, as well as to it.

National Importance: The monument is of national importance because it is a good example of a relatively undisturbed Bronze Age round cairn. It has the potential to reveal important information about funerary practice in the local Bronze Age community, as well as, by association, the rest of northern Scotland. Its loss would impede our ability to understand the placing of such monuments within the landscape, as well as our knowledge of Bronze Age funerary rites.

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.