Description

The monument is a chambered long cairn dating to the Neolithic period, and probably built and in use between 3800 BC and 2500 BC. It survives as a turf covered stone mound which is roughly trapezoidal in plan. The monument is located on a gentle east facing slope at about 225m above sea level.

The cairn measures about 13m in length by around 7m in width at the east end, narrowing to about 1.5m at the west end. There is a façade at the monument's eastern end defined by four large boulders in a slightly concave arrangement forming a forecourt area. Behind the façade are two side slabs which would have formed part of a chamber, while a kerb of stones run in a straight line across the southwest corner of the cairn. To the south of the chambered cairn is a roughly oval slab which may have formed part of the monument.

The scheduled area is oval 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 is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The monument was first scheduled in 1970, but the documentation does not meet current standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular the design and construction of burial monuments, and the nature of burial practices during the Neolithic period in the west of Scotland. Although the long cairn has been disturbed in the past, the monument can be still understood. The outline of the cairn can be traced and some of the façade stones and chamber side slabs remain upstanding. There is high potential for the survival of important buried remains including human remains, ritual deposits and residues/charcoal in and around the cairn, especially the forecourt area. The monument's importance is enhanced by its proximity to two further chambered cairns in the immediate area. The loss of the monument would diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the meaning and importance of death, burial and ritual in the Neolithic and the placing of cairns within the landscape.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 43454 (accessed on 28/04/2016).

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service Historic Environment Record Reference is WOSAS PIN 7970 (accessed on 28/04/2016).

Henshall, A S 1972 The chambered tombs of Scotland, vol.2. Edinburgh.

RCAHMS 1978 The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Dumbarton District, Clydebank District, Bearsden and Milngavie District, Strathclyde Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 3. Edinburgh.

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/43454/

HER/SMR Reference

The West of Scotland Archaeology Service Historic Environment Record Reference is WOSAS PIN 7970

Source: Historic Environment Scotland