Description

The monument comprises the remains of a cairn, built probably in the late Neolithic or Bronze Age between 3000 and 1000 BC. It is visible as a low turf-covered mound and lies within a later circular plantation at about 60m above sea level. The cairn lies on the SE slopes of a plateau around 295m SW of Peter's Burn. There are extensive views to the south, south-east and south-west. The cairn was first scheduled in 1977 when the entire area of the circular plantation was included; it is being rescheduled now to reduce the scheduled area and bring the documentation and mapping up to modern standards.

The upstanding remains of the cairn measure around 23m E-W by 20m transversely, with a scarp 0.7m high on the south. The other sides of the mound are less well defined. There is evidence of localised disturbance in the top of the cairn and on its N side, which may represent tree throws or possible stone robbing activity. There is also some evidence of animal burrowing on the SW side, but the monument appears generally undisturbed and reasonably well preserved.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. Specifically excluded from the scheduling to allow for their maintenance are the above-ground elements of the post-and-wire fence and the stone dyke on the S side of the scheduled area.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

Excavations elsewhere have suggested that many round cairns were used to cover and mark human burials. They date most commonly from the late third millennium BC to the early second millennium BC, in the late Neolithic or Bronze Age. This cairn appears to be largely undisturbed suggesting that archaeological information is likely to survive beneath its surface. The excavation of similar mounds elsewhere in SW Scotland shows that cairns often incorporate or overlie graves or pits containing cist settings, skeletal remains in the form of cremations or inhumations, pottery and flint objects, and comparable remains may also exist beneath this cairn. These deposits can help us understand more about the practice and significance of burial and commemorating the dead at specific times in prehistory. They may also help us to understand the changing structure of prehistoric society in the area.

In other investigated examples, activities may continue after the primary burial or cremation has taken place and the monument may contain further burials or other archaeologically significant features, and artefacts may be incorporated into its structure or within the surrounding area. In addition, the cairn is likely to overlie and seal a buried land surface that could provide evidence of the immediate environment when the monument was constructed. Botanical remains, including pollen or charred plant material, may survive within archaeological deposits deriving from the construction and use of the cairn. This evidence can help us build up a picture of climate, vegetation and agriculture in the area.

Contextual characteristics

This monument belongs to a diverse group of up to 86 known or possible cairns in the former county of Renfrewshire, including some that have been destroyed by modern land use since they were recorded. The majority lie between 200m and 300m above sea level on the NE fringe of the uplands that define the southern edge of the Clyde Valley. Unusually, Houston South Mound lies at only 50m above sea level. The intensive use of the lowlands for agriculture, housing and industry, as well as the activities of archaeological researchers, have influenced the distribution pattern we see today and make this example a very rare survival of a lowland cairn. Cairns seem to be positioned for visibility both to and from the site, tending to be located on hill tops, false crests and ridges, and are generally inter-visible. In this area, their position and significance in relation to contemporary agricultural land and settlement merits future detailed analysis.

This monument can be compared to the South Mound at Houston, located just 950m to the SSW. A land boundary runs directly between these two monuments. It is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey and is potentially much older. The Kilallan road, heading north-west out of Houston, diverts around the North Mound, which supports the theory that it has always been a recognised and significant feature in the landscape. The South Mound was partially excavated in 1974 in advance of tree planting and potential road works. The excavations revealed evidence of multiple phases of use of the site and its surrounds, from Mesolithic flint tools to the cairn itself, which covered a cist grave containing cremated human bone, a flint knife and a Bronze-Age food vessel. The monument can also be compared with excavated examples further afield, such as the cairn at East Green Farm, Kilmacolm, where at least two Bronze Age funerary urns were found. Cairns were often long-lived foci of religious or funerary activity and have the potential to contain secondary burials. This longevity is demonstrated at Houston South Mound , where the cairn re-used the location of a group of Neolithic pits and lay close to a probable cist cemetery. Cairns have the potential to further our understanding not just of funerary site location and practice, but also of the structure of early prehistoric society and economy. However, this cairn is more ephemeral than the South Mound and could represent a slightly different monument type.

Associative Characteristics

The monument is noted on the First Edition Ordnance Survey as 'North Mound', demonstrating that its antiquity has been recognised and valued since at least the late 19th century.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, particularly the design and construction of burial monuments, the nature of burial practices, and their significance in prehistoric and later society. Skeletal remains and artefacts from cairns can also enhance our knowledge about wider prehistoric society, how people lived, where they came from and who they had contact with. This monument is particularly valuable because it has a lowland setting and appears reasonably undisturbed. The monument also lies close to a similar cairn, the Houston South Mound, which upon excavation proved to contain complex multi-phase remains. The loss of this monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the placing of such monuments within the landscape and the meaning and importance of death and burial in prehistoric life.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS record the site as NS46NW 8. The WoSAS SMR records the site as WoSASPIN 7681.

References

Alexander, D (ed) 1996, Prehistoric Renfrewshire; Papers in Honour of Frank Newall, Renfrewshire Local History Forum.

Newall, F 1962, 'Early open settlement in Renfrewshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot 95 (1961-2), 159-70.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland