Ancient Monuments

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Round cairn west of Windy Gyle, 680m WNW of Russell's Cairn

A Scheduled Monument in Kelso and District, Scottish Borders

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.4316 / 55°25'53"N

Longitude: -2.2404 / 2°14'25"W

OS Eastings: 384883.662822

OS Northings: 615321.474308

OS Grid: NT848153

Mapcode National: GBR D5SM.RR

Mapcode Global: WH9ZZ.KQCZ

Entry Name: Round cairn west of Windy Gyle, 680m WNW of Russell's Cairn

Scheduled Date: 9 December 1997

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1015319

English Heritage Legacy ID: 25031

County: Scottish Borders

Electoral Ward: Kelso and District

Traditional County: Northumberland

Details

The monument includes the remains of a round cairn of prehistoric date
situated on the western shoulder of Windy Gyle and straddling the England-
Scotland border. It is composed of stone and earth, measures 9m in diameter
and stands to a maximum height of 1m. There is a shallow hollow 4m wide in the
centre of the cairn, the result of partial excavation in the 19th century.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age
(c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds covering single or
multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined
compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch.
Often occupying prominent locations, cairns are a major visual element in the
modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are
the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their
considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide
important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation
amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of
their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered
worthy of protection.

The round cairn west of Windy Gyle survives well and contains significant
archaeological deposits. It is one of a group of cairns situated along the
border ridge and will contribute to our knowledge and understanding of Bronze
Age settlement and activity.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
The County of Roxburgh: Volume 2, (1956), 352

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

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