A long Neolithic burial cairn carries later shielings across its surface, joining funerary and seasonal working landscapes in one monument.
Quick facts
- Date
- Neolithic, circa 4000–2500 BC; later shielings
- Architect / designer
- Unknown
- Type
- Long chambered cairn overlain by post-medieval shielings
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM5097)
- OS grid reference
- NF 67663 01223
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The cairn extends about sixty metres, narrowing markedly toward one end. Large boulders indicate the position of the burial chamber, while ruinous shielings and walling spread across and beyond the mound.
Its story
Communities constructed the chambered cairn during the Neolithic, between roughly 4000 and 2500 BC. Much later pastoral use placed shielings over the mound, creating a layered landscape without wholly destroying the earlier burial structure.
Why it is included
Scheduling recognises a relatively undisturbed Barra burial cairn with potential to preserve evidence for Neolithic funerary practice, earlier land use and later seasonal occupation.
What to notice
- The cairn's unusually long tapering footprint.
- Large boulders marking the concealed burial chamber.
- Shieling walls crossing the prehistoric mound.
Reading the surroundings
Confirm lawful access and conditions locally. Stay on durable ground, avoid livestock and wet terrain, and never climb, move stones or enter cavities in the cairn or shielings.
Timeline
- Circa 4000–2500 BC Neolithic communities built a long cairn around a burial chamber.
- Post-medieval period Seasonal herders placed shielings and walls across the ancient mound.
- 1991 Scheduling protected both the cairn and its later pastoral remains.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The chamber's internal form is largely concealed, the shielings are only broadly dated and current access arrangements were not verified.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Grianan Chambered Cairn, SM5097 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Ancient Monuments: Grianan chambered cairn — Independent public index reproducing the scheduled identity, mapped position and principal monument description.
Location
OS grid reference NF 67663 01223 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · 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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