Scheduled Monument
Knowe of Lairo, long cairn, E of Hullion, FrotoftSM1300
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
- 20/12/1935
- Last Date Amended
- 26/04/1993
- Type
- Prehistoric ritual and funerary: long cairn
- Local Authority
- Orkney Islands
- Parish
- Rousay And Egilsay
- NGR
- HY 39910 27967
- Coordinates
- 339910, 1027967
Description
The monument consists of a horned long cairn, a neolithic chambered burial mound.
Knowe of Lairo is approximately 50m long, oriented NW-SE, and is trapezoidal in plan, 8m wide at the NW end by 15m wide at the SE. Originally, low hornworks extended from each of the four angles, but only that from the S angle remains clearly visible. The cairn stands over 5m high at the SE end, tapering away to the NW. The entrance to
the burial chamber is set off-centre in the SE facade. The chamber, which has been cleared and is now difficult of access, is sub- rectangular, with two pairs of side stalls and an end compartment. Although the chamber has been cleared, there has been little
disturbance of the ground surface below and around the cairn.
The area to be scheduled is rectangular, 100m long by 50m wide, to include the cairn, the traces of its hornworks, and an area around in which evidence for its construction and use may survive, as marked
in red on the accompanying map.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance as one of the finest chambered tombs in Orkney not in state care. It gains additional importance from its membership of the numerically small group of Orkney horned cairns, which may demonstrate linkages with other areas of N Scotland. Although the chamber has been emptied, there has been relatively little disturbance under and around the cairn, and much archaeological evidence may survive, particularly in the forecourt area, pertaining to the construction and use of the cairn.
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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