Description

The monument comprises the remains of a burial cairn of prehistoric date.

The monument lies on rough pasture at around 290m OD on the summit of West Mains Hill. It comprises a grass-covered stony cairn some 21m E-W by about 22m N-S, and about 1.5m maximum height. Excavations in 1897 uncovered a double cist in the centre of the cairn containing evidence for Bronze Age burials, along with signs of structural complexity in the cairn's construction.

These early excavations are probably responsible for two areas of disturbance visible in the centre and on the NW of the cairn surface. The cairn is otherwise intact and is surmounted by an Ordnance Survey trig point and a modern monument apparently constructed from spoil from the 1897 excavations.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the cairn and an area around it in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is circular with a diameter of 50m as marked in red on the accompanying map and excludes the above-ground structures of the trig point and monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric ritual and funerary practices. It may be expected to contain material relating to its mode of construction and use in addition to further burials.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO 33 NW 2.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland