Scheduled Monument

Airidh na h-Aon Oidche,chambered cairnSM5014

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
26/03/1991
Supplementary Information Updated
15/01/2024
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: chambered cairn, Secular: shieling
Local Authority
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Parish
South Uist
NGR
NF 81709 52499
Coordinates
81709, 852499

Description

The monument consists of a chambered cairn, around which and into which later structures have been built. The cairn itself has been 18m in diameter, and still stands to 4m high. The plan has been circular, and a few upright stones representing the outer perimeter survive. The cairn was entered from the west, and what may be the upper stones of a central chamber 3m across can be seen in the centre of the mound.

Later structures have been built to the SW and NE. These appear to be shielings, but in the NE traces of underlying walling suggest earlier disturbance. The area to be scheduled is circular, 50m in diameter, to include the cairn, the spreads of stone around it within which are the shielings, and an area of ground adjacent which may contain evidence for the construction, use and subsequent re-use of the site.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance for the evidence it can provide, through excavation, for Neolithic funerary practices. The ground sealed beneath it can provide important information regarding land-use during the period, and the sequence of later structures illustrates the re-use of established centres of activity in what has always been extremely marginal land.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NF 85 SW 5.

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.

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Printed: 07/08/2025 10:50