Description

The monument comprises a Neolithic chambered cairn of the Hebridean passage-grave type. It is sited on prominent rocky knoll on a moorland hillside, overlooking Loch Ba Una and Loch nan Clachan and intervisible with the nearby chambered cairn of Airidh na h'Aon Oidche. The monument was first scheduled in 1934, but an inadequate area was included to protect all of the archaeological remains: the present scheduling rectifies this.

The body of the circular cairn (originally around 18m in diameter) has largely been robbed in antiquity to expose the SE passage which lead to a circular chamber, now defined by 5 upright slabs. A couple of peristaliths are visible. Several shieling structures, including a more substantial building to the S, have been built from cairn fabric in and around the cairn.

The area to be scheduled is a circle of diameter 60m centred on the centre of the cairn, to include the cairn and later structures and an area around in which evidence relating to their construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because has the potential to provide information about Neolithic burial practices as well as, incidentally, later transhumance practices. Despite later robbing, there is no reason to believe that well-preserved archaeological deposits do not survive. Its significance is enhanced by its proximity to a related burial monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NF85SW 4.

References:

Henshall A S 1972a, THE CHAMBERED TOMBS OF SCOTLAND, Edinburgh, 2, 59-60.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland