Description

The monument comprises two enclosed cremation cemeteries; funerary monuments constructed in the mid Bronze Age (c.1600-1300BC). These are already scheduled, but the original scheduling maps are inadequate, both in area and accuracy of location, and the current proposal rectifies this.

The cemeteries lie on the SE-facing slope of Ewelaw Rig at approximately 270m OD. The easternmost cemetery is circular and measures approximately 10m in diameter. The remains of the enclosing stony bank are slight but can still be clearly traced. The western cemetery is also circular, but larger, measuring approximately 16.5m in diameter, with a more substantial enclosing bank surviving.

Excavations at a similar enclosed cemetery (at Weird Law) showed that the enclosing wall was constructed to define an area which was used as a cremation site. Funeral pyres were constructed and lit within the enclosure, and once these had burnt out, the cremated human remains were extracted and buried in pits within the enclosure.

The area to be scheduled is in two parts - a circle 30m in diameter centred on the eastern enclosure, and a circle 35m in diameter centred on the western enclosure - as shown in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland