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

  SM4638_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600010550)

Summary

Description

The monument is a burial cairn of the earlier Bronze Age, about 3500 years old, situated on the summit of Dirrington Little Law. It measures approximately 26m in diameter and up to 2m in height. The cairn is unusually large compared with most other extant burial mounds in this area. It is likely to cover at least one burial of the earlier Bronze Age; by analogy with excavated sites, it seems certain that other burials would have been inserted into the body of the cairn. Burial, and ceremonial activity associated with the burials, will extend beyond the cairn. The particularly prominent siting of the cairn may imply that the person buried beneath it was of greater than normal importance to his or her community.

An area 60m in diameter, centred on the cairn, is proposed for scheduling, to include the cairn and an area around it in which remains of contemporary activity is likely to survive.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is very well preserved; it is of national importance because the burial deposits which it covers, and those which may have been inserted into the body of the cairn, are likely to survive undisturbed. The burials in the cairn would provide information of considerable importance about the burial rites of the earlier Bronze Age, and about the apparently important individuals buried there. In addition, the cairn covers an area of contemporary and earlier Bronze Age land; examination of the buried soil would provide information about land use in the period immediately prior to the cairn's construction. The monument is therefore of national importance to the themes of earlier Bronze Age burial and ceremonial practices and to the theme of prehistoric land use. It is of particular significance in earlier Bronze Age society in the area.

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.