Description

The monuments comprise a standing stone, three round barrows and a long barrow, all of prehistoric date. The standing stone is visible as an upstanding monument; the barrows are visible as cropmarks on oblique aerial photographs.

The standing stone was first scheduled in 1929. However, recent aerial photography has revealed further archaeological remains in the vicinity of the standing stone and the present re-scheduling represents an extension of the original scheduling as a response to include these newly identified remains.

The monuments are situated in arable farmland on a relatively level terrace, at about 70m O.D. overlooking the River Tay to the north. The standing stone measures c. 1.4m high by 1m wide by 0.5m thick and a second standing stone is reputed to have stood close to this one.

Located immediately to the W of the standing stone are the ploughed out remains of two round barrows. These barrows are circular, with diameters of c. 10-12m, and each defined by a single ditch. There may be a break in the circumference of the barrow nearest to the stone but the other appears to have a complete circuit. Both barrows appear to have central pits. About 120m to the NE of these round barrows the ploughed out remains of a third round barrow is present. This barrow measures c. 15m in diameter within a complete ditch-defined circuit. No internal features are clear; though up to three pits appear to be present within the interior.

Approximately 20m to the NW of this barrow lies the remains of a ploughed out long barrow. This long barrow consists of two irregular ditches, not quite parallel, running WNW-ESE for over 100m. The ditches appear to taper to a possible rounded end at the WNW. The distance between these ditches varies between about 6m and 12m (at the ESE end).

Long barrows and round barrows were constructed to house the dead, with burials often placed either at the wide end of the long barrow or in pits within the round barrows. Standing stones represent upstanding markers of related ritual activity.

These monuments comprise individual components of a ritual landscape dating from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age. The identification of a cemetery of similar date in the field immediately to the east (Simpson and Coles 1991) further emphasises the importance of this terrace at that time.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found. It is trapezoidal in shape, with maximum dimensions of about 330m N-S by 180m E-W, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

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Source: Historic Environment Scotland