MHG2269 - Chambered Cairn, Rattar House
Summary
Site of probable Neolithic chambered cairn.
Type and Period (1)
- CHAMBERED CAIRN (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A conical mound of which side nearest the sea has been eroded by the waves, exposing 'the remains of what appears to have been the entrance. It is formed of large slabs set on end. From the general outline I think it has been a chambered cairn probably divided into compartments like the rest of the Pictish Houses'. <1>
A low mound which has been partially carried away lies at the edge of the bank above the shelving rocks. It has a diameter of 30ft and a height of 1.5-2ft. Its character is not apparent. <4>
A grass-covered cairn as described by the RCAHMS. A large hole in centre has exposed a flat stone, 1.2m long by 0.6m high, set on edge, probably SW side stone of a cist oriented NW-SE.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (R D) 1 March 1965.
Cairn (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
No change to the previous field report.
Visited by OS (J M) 22 April 1982.
A cairn, measuring 7.2m N-S by 8.4m E-W and about 0.6m high, badly damaged, with a large flat slab, which could represent the SW side of a cist, visible in the open centre. <2>
This chambered cairn is 200m NW of Rattar South (ND27SW 3) (MHG224), in the narrow space between the shore and a field wall, at 5m OD.
The turf-covered cairn has been about 9m in diameter, but it has been eroded by the sea on the N side and by a small burn on the E side. The edge round the Se half is vague, but a fairly clear edge remains on the W side. The cairn surface is gently rounded with a maximum height of 0.8m at the back of the chamber. The inner part of the chamber is exposed in a rectangular hollow dug to almost ground level. The chamber axis runs from a little N of E to S of W. A divisional slab on the S side is 0.4m long and 0.2m high. The back-slab, 2.1m to the W, is 1.3m long and 0.6m high. The chamber is 1.3m wide at the W end between two short lengths of wall-face, and another short length can be seen adjacent to the divisional slab. The S wall-face is interrupted by a shallower hollow extending southwards, perhaps indicating another divisional slab has been removed from this position. <3>
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SHG3361 Text/Publication/Volume: Name Book (County). Object Name Books of the Ordnance Survey. Book No. 3, 49.
- <2> SHG1960 Text/Report: Batey, C E. 1982. Caithness coastal survey 1982: interim reports 1980-2. . Dun 12; plan.
- <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. 166, no. 75; plan.
- <4> SHG2657 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 26, No. 76.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 2471 7378 (80m by 80m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND27SW |
| Civil Parish | DUNNET |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/8911 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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