Description

The monument comprises a ceremonial enclosure, or burial cairn, of prehistoric date, visible as an upstanding mound. The original scheduling failed to cover the monument through a mapping error: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

The monument lies in rough pasture to the ESE of the summit of Dundaff Hill, at around 325m OD. The central mound measures about 27.3m N-S by 26.8m E-W and stands about 3m high. It is surrounded by a ditch which is approximately 2m wide, with an external bank about 1.7 m wide. Normally, a mound such as this surrounded by a ditch and bank would be identified as a bell, or bowl, cairn; a burial mound of Neolithic or Bronze Age date.

However, the central mound of this monument appears to mainly comprise a natural bedrock outcrop rather than a man-made cairn. The incorporation of this natural feature implies that burial may not have been the primary function of this monument and that other ritual activities took precedence at the site.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. It is circular with a diameter of 50m centred on the middle of the mound, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to enhance our understanding of Neolithic and Bronze Age burial and ceremonial activity. The unusual incorporation of an apparently natural feature into a ritual site makes this monument of particular interest. The presence of another, similar, site approximately 600m to the NNE further enhances the importance of the monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NS 78 SW 13.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland