Scheduled Monument
Barpa Langass, chambered cairn, North UistSM892
Status: Designated
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.
Summary
- Date Added
- 20/06/1934
- Last Date Amended
- 28/02/2000
- Type
- Prehistoric ritual and funerary: chambered cairn
- Local Authority
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Parish
- North Uist
- NGR
- NF 83769 65734
- Coordinates
- 83769, 865734
Description
The monument comprises an exceptionally well preserved chambered tomb of the so-called Hebridean Group, which is situated in rough grazings on the NW slope of Ben Langass, North Uist at about 45m OD.
The cairn is circular on plan, defined by a kerb of stones just over 24m in diameter. Peat has built up around the monument. A prominent landscape feature, it stands over 4m in height and is largely undisturbed, except at the E where there is a funnel-shaped forecourt which leads into a largely intact passage (about 3.5m long). At the end of the passage is a chamber which is an irregular oval on plan, measuring about 4m long by 1.8m wide, defined by large upright slabs with drystone walling above and capped by lintels.
The interior of the cairn has been partially disturbed in antiquity, although evidence survived in 1911 for 'many burnt burials' as well as unstratified finds of Neolithic and later pottery, and worked flint and mica. There is said to be a second chamber in the cairn, entered by a passage from the N.
The monument was first scheduled in 1934, but an inadequare area was included to protect all of the archaeological remains: the present scheduling rectifies this.
The area to be scheduled is circular on plan and measures 80m in diameter, centred on the cairn, to include the monument and an area around in which remains associated with its construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
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.
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