A low oval cairn on Fagyad Hill yielded a pit containing burnt material and a small worked-stone assemblage, while leaving its precise prehistoric date unresolved.
Quick facts
- Date
- Probably prehistoric; scheduled 1980; excavated 1992
- Architect / designer
- Builders unknown
- Type
- Low funerary or ritual cairn with excavated pit and lithic evidence
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM4254)
- OS grid reference
- NS 91830 22833
Architecture and continuing use
Excavation recorded an oval spread of stone about 9 by 7 metres and roughly half a metre high. Beneath or within it was a pit with burnt material, but no surviving human bone was identified. Around twenty pieces of chert supplied evidence of working or activity at the site.
Its story
The monument was scheduled in 1980 as a cairn of uncertain type. Limited excavation in 1992 tested its structure and recovered burnt material and worked chert. The absence of diagnostic bone or firmly dated finds led the investigators to retain a cautious, possibly Neolithic interpretation rather than claim a secure chronology.
Why it is included
The cairn is retained because designation and excavation together document a distinct prehistoric monument, while its unresolved date and function provide an honest example of archaeological uncertainty.
What to notice
- The low oval profile rather than a tall mound.
- Its position within an open upland landscape.
- The contrast between modest surface form and excavated evidence below.
Reading the surroundings
Do not disturb stones or seek the excavated pit. Use only lawful routes, respect livestock and ground conditions, and remember that scheduling prohibits unauthorised investigation or metal detecting.
Timeline
- Prehistoric, date uncertain A low stone cairn was formed around activity that left burnt material and worked chert.
- 28 April 1980 The monument was scheduled as a nationally important cairn of uncertain type.
- 1992 Limited excavation recorded its dimensions, a burnt-material pit and about twenty chert pieces.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The monument is undated and its function remains uncertain. A possible Neolithic attribution is provisional rather than a confirmed construction date.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Fagyad Hill Cairn, SM4254 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove designation: SM4254 — Parallel national designation identity and archival context.
- Archaeology Scotland: Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1992 — Excavation report for Fagyad Hill recording the cairn, pit and worked-chert evidence.
- ScottishPower Renewables: cultural heritage gazetteer — Professional heritage gazetteer confirming the scheduled identity, coordinates and high sensitivity of the cairn.
Location
OS grid reference NS 91830 22833 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-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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