A broad stone mound west of Evanton preserves the chamber of a Neolithic communal tomb beneath later disturbance and field clearance.
Quick facts
- Date
- Neolithic; later stone robbing, enclosure and field clearance
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric builders; individual makers unknown
- Type
- Round chambered cairn with surviving slabs and later enclosing wall
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM4839)
- OS grid reference
- NH 58945 66565
Architecture and continuing use
The surviving cairn measures about twenty-three by twenty-one metres and rises to roughly 1.8 metres. Upright and fallen slabs mark the burial chamber, while a more recent circular rubble wall encloses the mound. Robbing and added field stone have changed its outline without removing the monument’s overall presence.
Its story
Neolithic communities built the cairn for burial and ceremony several millennia before the planned village. Later people removed stone, planted the mound and enclosed it within a circular wall; field clearance may also have enlarged parts. Scheduling in 1990 recognised both the visible structure and buried evidence around it.
Why it is included
It extends Evanton’s architectural story beyond buildings, showing how stone, chamber and landscape were organised for remembrance in prehistory.
What to notice
- Large slabs forming the surviving burial chamber.
- The broad stony mound beneath later vegetation.
- A circular enclosure wall that is younger than the cairn itself.
Reading the surroundings
Do not cross fields, walls or fences without permission. Avoid moving stones, entering unstable openings or disturbing vegetation and buried archaeology.
Timeline
- Neolithic period Communities constructed a chambered cairn for burial and ceremony.
- 19th–20th centuries Stone removal, planting and field clearance altered the mound’s edges.
- 1990 Carn Liath was scheduled as a monument of national importance.
- 2019 HES updated supplementary information for the designation.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The official point identifies an extensive mound and protected surrounding area, not a visitor entrance. Vegetation and later stone deposition can obscure original fabric.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Carn Liath Chambered Cairn, SM4839 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: Carn Liath Chambered Cairn — National collection entry corroborating designation identity, mapped position and related archive material.
- Highland Historic Environment Record: Carn Liath chambered cairn — Local archaeological record for the cairn’s interpretation, field history and condition evidence.
- Highland Historic Environment Record: Torranan Sleibh cultural-heritage assessment — Public assessment reproducing the protected identity, form and official coordinates of Carn Liath.
Location
OS grid reference NH 58945 66565 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies the extent of multi-part sites, access and any present-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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