Scheduled Monument

Craonaval,chambered cairn 200m WNW ofSM5176

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
22/11/1991
Supplementary Information Updated
06/02/2023
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: chambered cairn
Local Authority
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Planning Authority
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Parish
North Uist
NGR
NF 83307 62731
Coordinates
83307, 862731

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a prehistoric chambered burial cairn lying WNW of the highest point of Craonaval. The cairn survives in a very disturbed state. A mound some 10m by 12 stands 1m high. A few stones of an outer kerb are visible, suggesting an original diameter of 16m. The chamber appears to have had two compartments and an entrance from the E.

The inner compartment (that towards the E) has been dug into, but the outer one may be relatively undisturbed. The disturbance to the cairn may be of some considerable activity, as an empty cist lies at the centre of the surviving mound, suggesting the cairn was remodelled in the Bronze Age.

The area to be scheduled is circular, 40m in diameter and centred on the inner chamber of the cairn, to include the cairn and an area around it in which evidence for its construction and use may survive, as indicated in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as one of a large local group of cairns, standing stones and stone circles, without parallel in the Western Isles except at Callanish. In itself it is also of national importance, since it appears to have intact chamber deposits, and there is the possibility of evidence for a remodelling of the cairn in antiquity. These aspects suggest that the monument, upon excavation, could reveal important information regarding the sequence and evolution of burial practices in the area in the Neolithic and succeeding Bronze Age.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NF 86 SW 9.

Reference:

Henshall, A. S. (1972a) The Chambered Tombs of Scotland, vol. 2, 512, Edinburgh.

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

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Printed: 22/07/2025 05:00