Scheduled Monument

Woodside, cairn 215m ESE ofSM11020

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
27/01/2005
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: cairn (type uncertain)
Local Authority
Aberdeenshire
Parish
Pitsligo
NGR
NJ 94192 65978
Coordinates
394192, 865978

Description

The monument comprises a cairn of prehistoric date, visible as a grass-covered, earth and stone mound, possibly originally associated with other cairns in the immediate vicinity that have since been destroyed.

The monument is situated within a small enclosure, on the south side of the road from Peathill, at c.55m OD. The monument comprises a mound measuring c. 26m N-S by c. 24m E-W, with a maximum height of 1.7m. The cairn is grassed over, except on the west side where many stones are exposed. A circular depression, slightly banked on the NE side, and measuring c. 8m by 7m by 0.3m deep, is present to the west of the centre of the mound and may be the result of the former excavation in the 18th century, when a stone cist, flint arrowheads and ashes were found.

Cairns of this type are funerary monuments dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, and may be expected to contain material relating to their mode of construction and use.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found. It is irregular in shape, with maximum dimensions of 28m N-S by 28m E-W as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The scheduled area is defined to the north, west and south by stone field boundaries which are themselves excluded from the schedule.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to an understanding of prehistoric funerary and ritual practices. Its importance is increased by its proximity to other monuments of potentially contemporary date.

References

Bibliography

The monument is recorded by RCHAMS as NJ96NW 10. The monument is recorded in the Grampian Region Archaeological Index also as NJ96NW 6.

References:

ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOK (COUNTY) 1871, Original Name Books of the Ordnance Survey.

OSA 1791-9, THE STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND, DRAWN UP FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS OF THE MINISTERS OF THE DIFFERENT PARISHES, Sir John Sinclair, Edinburgh, Vol. 5, 97.

Map references:

Ordnance Survey 1874 (Aberdeenshire) 1st edition map, 6 inches to 1 mile.

Ordnance Survey 1903 (Aberdeenshire) 2nd edition map, 6 inches to 1 mile.

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.

Images

There are no images available for this record, you may want to check trove.scot for images relating to Woodside, cairn 215m ESE of

There are no images available for this record.

Search trove.scot

Printed: 27/07/2025 15:39