MHG1092 - Burial Cairn - Berriedale Water (A)

Summary

Site of late neolithic-bronze age burial cairn.

Type and Period (1)

  • BURIAL CAIRN (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)

Protected Status

Full Description

(A: ND 1083 2561; B: ND 1092 2569) Mounds (NR)
OS 6" map, Caithness, 2nd ed., (1908)

A: Perched on top of S bank of Allt Ardachaidh, near its junction with Berriedale Water is cairn measuring 38ft diameter & 5ft high. Visited 1910. <1>

The cairn was Scheduled in 1939.

'A' is a large cairn, 15m in diameter and 1.5m high.
'B', 110m to NE, on opposite bank of Allt Ardachaidh, is a large, mutilated and irregularly-shaped earth-and-stone mound covered with bracken. It measures some 27m N-S by 20m transversely, with a maximum height of 2m. The mound has been extensively robbed, the interior being almost cleared out to form a sheepfold.
A number of deserted building foundations exist immediately N of this mound; which would appear to be undoubtedly the remains of a burial cairn.
Visited by OS (W D J) 21 June 1960.

(A: ND 1083 2561; B: ND 1092 2569) Cairns (NR)
OS 6" map, (1965)

Cairn 'A' is 10.5m diameter and 1.3m high; it is largely heather-covered, but some rubble stones are exposed.
There are insufficient remains of 'B' to indicate that it is a cairn. All that can be seen is an early-modern enclosure wall situated on a natural spur within bracken-infested pasture. Interior of enclosure is relatively clear of stones, and is at same level as pasture to NW; in SE arc is a scarp about 1.5m high on which is stone tumbled from the enclosure, and some early-modern field clearance.
Revised at 1:10,000. Visited by OS (N K B) 10 November 1982.

The Scheduling was amended by Historic Environment Scotland in 2016 to include a larger area. <2>

GIS spatial data amended in 2018 according to its location on OS MasterMap. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred ND 1082 2561 (26m by 26m) (2 map features)
Map sheet ND12NW
Civil Parish LATHERON
Geographical Area CAITHNESS

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (2)

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.