MHG63429 - Possible burial cairn - Berriedale Water (B)
Summary
Site of a possible late neolithic-bronze age burial cairn. It may be a natural feature.
Type and Period (3)
- BURIAL CAIRN? (Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- (Alternate Type) NATURAL FEATURE? (Unknown date)
- SHEEP FOLD? (Post Medieval - 1560 AD? to 1900 AD?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Remains of a possible burial mound on the north side of the Allt Ardachaidh, near its junction with Berriedale Water. It may be a natural feature. Recorded by the OS as Cairn 'B'. See MHG1092 fo Cairn 'A'.
(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>
'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.
On vertical aerial photography the site appears as an irregularly shaped enclosure or group of small enclosures but difficult to reconcile as a 'sheepfold' as originally thought by the OS in 1960. <2>
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> 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. . 75, No. 270.
- <3> SHG27382 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 2009. Getmapping aerial photography 2009. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 1091 2569 (26m by 37m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND12NW |
| Civil Parish | LATHERON |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/8061 (View HES Canmore record for this site)
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