MHG8715 - Chambered Long Cairn - Carn Liath
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CHAMBERED LONG CAIRN (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Protected Status
Full Description
NH77NW 10 7298 7980.
Carn Liath (NAT) OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1907)
Situated on SW facing slopes of Beinn nan Gearrean is a massive, featureless, long cairn of bare rubble stone aligned NE-SW with its long axis running down the hill, so that its length has probably been increased by spill. It is 35m long, 14m wide at NE end and 8m wide at SW end and has a maximum height of 2m near NE end.
A number of hollows excavated on top of cairn appear to be only superficial or the results of attempted excavation and do not reveal any interesting feature, and cairn remains intact largely despite probable robbing for nearby buildings, now deserted, one of which has its NW corner actually built onto SE side of cairn.
Visited by OS (R D L) 20 May 1963.
‘The cairn is aligned NE-SW across the slope with the wider end uphill. The cairn is aligned except for vegetation encroaching along the edges. The plan of the cairn is trapezoidal, about 120 ft long, about 45 ft wide at the NE end and about 27 ft wide at the SW end. Various hollows have been made in the surface but no internal structure is visible. The maximum height, about 25 ft from the NE end, is about 6 ft. The edges along the NE side have been considerably disturbed and are overgrown with bracken. Several walls have been built to abut the SE site of the cairn, and further obscure the precise plan.’ <1>
Kinnes 1992 cites this as one of four non-Megalithic long barrows in the Highlands, all in SE Sutherland. One near Lairg (MHG11986) is probably a modern spoil heap. None have been excavated. <2>
Photographs of the cairn were forwarded to the HER in October 2010. <3>
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SHG23376 Text/Report/Management Plan: Forestry Commission & Historic Scotland. 2008. Carn Liath, Long Cairn. Digital (scanned as PDF).
- --- SHG2670 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty District, Highland Region. . 7, No. 5.
- <1> SHG358 Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1972. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 2. 2. Paper (Original). Pp. 586.
- <2> SHG28003 Text/Publication: Kinnes, I. A. 1992. Non-Megalithic Long Barrows and Allied Structures in the British Neolithic. British Museum Occasional Paper No. 52: London. British Musuem. Pp. 18, 160.
- <3> SHG24973 Image/Photograph(s): Grant, G. 10/2010. Photographs of Cairn Liath. Colour. Yes. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 7299 7981 (74m by 73m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH77NW |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | TAIN |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM4752 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/14553 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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