Scheduled Monument
Loch Raoinavat,stone circleSM5344
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
- 24/02/1992
- Type
- Prehistoric ritual and funerary: standing stone
- Local Authority
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Parish
- Barvas
- NGR
- NB 23387 46182
- Coordinates
- 123387, 946182
Description
The monument consists of the remains of a stone circle of probable late Neolithic date. The circle, "Clach an Cnoc Laoiran" is set on the hillock Cnoc Laoiran and overlooks Loch Raoinavat. Only two slabs (1.2m high) with holes alongside remain upright. These are in the SW portion of the circle. There are three recumbent slabs situated at regular intervals in the NE part of the circle.
The rest of the approximate circle (diameter 30m) is composed of areas of broken stone where attempts were made, after the last war, to shape or remove stones for building.
There are holes and anomalies in vegetation cover which may indicate the positions of removed stones. There are two large stones lying 28m to the S of the circle. These are believed to have been abandoned after being removed from the circle.
The area to be scheduled is circular with a diameter of 50m to be centred on the stone circle as shown in red on the accompanying map.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance as a focus of Neolithic ritual and social activity. Although it has been damaged its importance as part of a group of stone circles concentrated in the West coast of Lewis is undiminished and may be of value to research into the distribution and purpose of such monuments and into the relative importance of different elements of such groups during the period of their construction and use.
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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