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MHG63203 - Cup marked stone at a Ring cairn - Culburnie

Summary

A probable cup marked orthostat to the southeast of a late Neolithic-Bronze Age ring cairn.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Stone Circle (O'E.)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1907)

Culburnie: a ring-cairn in a group of trees beside the public road. The approach road to a nearby croft passes across the NW side, and the SW side is included in the croft garden.
The cairn composed of rounded boulders, has diameters of 42-44 ft. and a height of 5 ft. The kerb is virtually complete and is composed of large irregular boulders increasing in height from 1-2 ft on the N., to the SW. Where there are impressive blocks 3 ft. 6in. - 4 ft. high. A modern wall has been built above the kerb on the SW side.
The interior space has diameters of 16-17 ft. and the walling is composed of boulders from 1 - 2 ft 9 ins in height. A hole 3 ft. square and 2 ft. deep has recently been dug in the centre.
There is a ring of eight monoliths, 10 - 14ft, outside the kerb, with an overall diameter of 70 ft. It is complete except for a gap on the NE where the ninth stone stood. The tallest monolith,on the SSW.,is 7 ft. high.
Cup-marks have been reported on three of the monoliths and three of the kerb stones, but they are now unconvincing except for the kerb stone on the SSW which may have weathered cup-marks.
A S Henshall 1963 <1>

Ring-cairn as described above.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (R L) 18 December 1964

Temporary fencing was erected around this cairn whilst development was taking place elsewhere on the site in 2008 and 2009. This site was found to be as described above and overgrown with shrubs and trees. <2>

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in January 2020. The panel is a large orthostat to the southeast of the ring cairn at Culburnie, close to the boundary fence. It is on level ground, part of a low flattish ridge which slopes gently to the northeast towards the river Beauly.

The panel is a pointed triangular piece of schist, set upright, 1.6m high x 1.3m broad x 0.6m thick, and flat in section. It has two probable cupmarks low down on the outer face. The other orthostats and kerbstones associated with the cairn were also examined but no cupmarks were found. <3>

NGR adjusted based on 2020 vertical aerial photographs. <4>

Sources/Archives (6)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 4918 4179 (7m by 7m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH44SE
Civil Parish	KILTARLITY AND CONVINTH
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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External Links (3)