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

  SM889_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600002897)

Summary

Description

The monument is a chambered cairn surrounded by the remains of a stone circle, dating from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (fourth to third millennia BC). It is visible as a ring of stones about 13m in overall diameter and standing up to 1m high with a smaller inner kerb around the centre of the cairn. Four monoliths stand to the northeast, east, southeast and south. The monument is located within a residential development in Aviemore and sits 213m above sea level.

The burial cairn is a Clava cairn, a type only found in the Inverness-shire area. These are circular chambered cairns, sometimes with a surrounding stone circle, named after a collection of cairns at Balnuaran of Clava near Inverness. The cairn has an almost complete outer kerb formed by a line of stones up to 1m high and is very gently graded in height with the peak at the southwest. The inner kerb is mostly turfed over but protruding stones indicate that it is approximately 7m in diameter. The area between the two kerbs would originally have been filled with stones but there is now very little cairn material left. The four standing stones are approximately 5m from the edge of the cairn, the tallest is almost 1.5m tall and is located at the southwest. The shortest standing stone is at the northeast and is around 0.75m tall but appears to have partially fallen towards the cairn. A further monolith, broken into two pieces, lies under a planted hedge and is approximately 6m north northeast of the cairn.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and includes the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the information plaque and stone plinth, wooden fences and manhole to allow for maintenance. The monument was originally scheduled in 1935 but the documentation did not meet current standards; the present amendment rectifies this.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular the design, construction and use of burial and ceremonial monuments. It retains its field characteristics to a marked degree including the surviving structural form of the outer kerb of the cairn and remains of the stone circle. There is no record of any previous excavation, suggesting high potential for the survival of important archaeological evidence. The cairn lies in the heart of Strathspey and is an important prehistoric monument within that landscape. This monument, together with other broadly contemporary sites in the vicinity, can give insights into the nature of the Neolithic landscape and add to our understanding of social organisation, land use and ritual within Strathspey in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. Clava type cairns are only situated in the Inverness-shire area and loss of the monument from within this relatively small distribution area would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand structures and practices associated with death and burial in prehistory

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.