A low but substantial mound survives on a river-terrace edge where prehistoric burial and later local tradition meet.
Quick facts
- Date
- Early Neolithic or early Bronze Age
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric builders not identified
- Type
- Prehistoric burial mound
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM9612)
- OS grid reference
- NO 17126 44514
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The oval mound measures about sixteen by thirteen metres and stands roughly 1.7 metres high. Its prominent terrace-edge position and sealed ground surface are as archaeologically important as the earthwork visible above ground.
Its story
A community raised the mound around one or more burials during the early Neolithic or early Bronze Age. Later burials may have been inserted into it, and local tradition subsequently associated Fir Hillock with execution.
Why it is included
Scheduling recognises a relatively little-disturbed mound whose burials and buried land surface could illuminate prehistoric belief, environment and land use.
What to notice
- The mound’s oval profile among the conifers.
- Its position at the edge of a river terrace.
- Signs of historic disturbance on the summit without approaching them.
Reading the surroundings
No public right of access is implied. Remain on lawful routes, respect forestry and farm operations, and never climb, dig, metal-detect or disturb the mound.
Timeline
- c.3500 or c.2500 BC Prehistoric communities raised a mound over at least one burial.
- Later prehistory Additional burials may have been inserted into the existing monument.
- 1998 The mound and its archaeological surroundings were scheduled.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Its broad date has not been narrowed by excavation, and the execution story is a later tradition rather than proof of the mound’s first purpose.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Fir Hillock Burial Mound, SM9612 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM9612 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
Location
OS grid reference NO 17126 44514 · 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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