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

  SM2911_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600016336)

Summary

Description

The monument is a chambered long cairn dating to the Neolithic period, and probably built and in use between 3800 BC and 2500 BC. It survives as a turf covered stone mound which is roughly trapezoidal in plan. The monument is located on a gentle east facing slope at about 225m above sea level.

The cairn measures about 13m in length by around 7m in width at the east end, narrowing to about 1.5m at the west end. There is a façade at the monument's eastern end defined by four large boulders in a slightly concave arrangement forming a forecourt area. Behind the façade are two side slabs which would have formed part of a chamber, while a kerb of stones run in a straight line across the southwest corner of the cairn. To the south of the chambered cairn is a roughly oval slab which may have formed part of the monument.

The scheduled area is oval on plan to include 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 monument was first scheduled in 1970, but the documentation does not meet current standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular the design and construction of burial monuments, and the nature of burial practices during the Neolithic period in the west of Scotland. Although the long cairn has been disturbed in the past, the monument can be still understood. The outline of the cairn can be traced and some of the façade stones and chamber side slabs remain upstanding. There is high potential for the survival of important buried remains including human remains, ritual deposits and residues/charcoal in and around the cairn, especially the forecourt area. The monument's importance is enhanced by its proximity to two further chambered cairns in the immediate area. The loss of the monument would diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the meaning and importance of death, burial and ritual in the Neolithic and the placing of cairns within the landscape.

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.