MHG188 - Chambered Cairn - Fairy Hillock, Spittal
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CHAMBERED CAIRN (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Protected Status
Full Description
Grid Reference ND 1637 5438 corrected to ND 16376 54389
ND15SE 3 1637 5438
(ND 1637 5438) Fairy Hillock (NAT) Chambered Cairn (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
Fairy Hillock is a short horned cairn, possibly of Orkney-Cromarty type. It is now an oval, turf-covered mound about 6ft high, measuring 60ft ENE-WSW by 39ft transversely. The edges are clearly defined, but there has been some disturbance at the centre. A hollow runs across ENE end of mound, and in centre of this lies a large flat slab 20ft from the ENE edge. The hollow probably represents the original face of the forecourt, and the slab may be a lintel fallen forward from the outer end of a passage entered from the ENE. It could formerly be seen to rest on two jambs. About the middle of the SSE side sheep- rubbing has exposed a stretch of walling which probably faced the outside of the SSE horn. The exposed stretch lies 7ft within the cairn edge and runs 5ft from E to W diverging from the axes of the cairn. It is of neat, thin slabs, seven courses or 1ft high.
About 5ft within the walling the cairn material is exposed. It consists of masses of thin slabs set parallel and almost vertical, their upper edges tilted slightly outwards. they run ENE-WSW in straight lines for at least 11ft.
There are no indications of horns at the WSW end of the cairn.
RCAHMS 1911; A S Henshall 1963
Fairy Hillock, a short horned cairn, is as described above.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 8 November 1965
No change. Visited by OS (J M) 9 February 1982
Chambered cairn, Fairy Hillock. Dimensions: 16 x 12m. Short horned cairn comprising an oval mound, with signs of a chamber on the top.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG2115 Text/Publication/Volume: Davidson, JL and Henshall, A S. 1991. The chambered cairns of Caithness: an inventory of the structures and their contents. 112-13, no. 24; plan.
- --- SHG2664 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Third report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Caithness. . 32, No. 100.
- --- SHG357 Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1963. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 1. 271, CAT 24.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 1637 5438 (80m by 80m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND15SE |
| Civil Parish | WATTEN |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM528 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/8337 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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