Scheduled Monument
White Cairn and Hole Stone, cairn and standing stone 365m N of CrouseSM1952
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
- 12/01/1938
- Last Date Amended
- 04/06/2026
- Type
- Prehistoric ritual and funerary: cairn (type uncertain); standing stone
- Local Authority
- Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish
- Kirkinner
- NGR
- NX 36583 55763
- Coordinates
- 236583, 555763
Description
The monument comprises the remains of a cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (2500BC – 800BC) and a standing stone of Late Neolithic (3000BC – 2500BC) or Bronze Age date. The cairn is circular on plan, measuring about 28m from north to south by about 27m and standing up to about 2m high. The standing stone lies around 28m to the south of the cairn and stands about 1.7m high. It measures about 1.3m wide at the base, tapering at the top where a circular hole, formed by the connection of two opposing bowl shape depressions, has been bored through the stone. The monument lies on gently sloping ground at about 25m above sea level.
The scheduled area is in two parts. The northern part is circular, measuring 48m in diameter, centred on the cairn. The second is circular, measuring 8m in diameter and centred on the standing stone. The scheduled area includes the remains described above and an area around 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 above ground elements of the stone wall south of the cairn is specifically excluded to allow for its maintenance.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance as it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past as a cairn of probable Bronze Age date and a standing stone of Late Neolithic or Bronze Age date. It is possible that they were built in relation to one another. The monument adds to our understanding of the design and construction of burial and ritual monuments, the nature of burial and ritual practices and their significance in Bronze Age society. It is an impressive monument which retains its field characteristics and can be compared with other cairns and standing stones that survive in the vicinity. As such it can enhance our understanding of Bronze Age society and economy, as well as the nature of belief systems, burial and ceremonial practices. It would have been an important component of the wider prehistoric landscape of settlement, agriculture and ritual and would have been a prominent part of the prehistoric landscape. The standing stone is traditionally associated with marriage ceremonies and so can tell us about the continued importance of prehistoric monuments within societies and their incorporation into traditional practices.
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).
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