A broad grassed mound survives from a prehistoric funerary landscape, with an old hollow possibly marking eighteenth-century investigation of a cist and cremated remains.
Quick facts
- Date
- Neolithic or Bronze Age; disturbed in the 18th century
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric community
- Type
- Grass-covered funerary cairn with evidence of a cist
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM11020)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 94192 65978
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The cairn measures about 26 by 24 metres and rises to roughly 1.7 metres. Exposed stones appear on one side, while an off-centre circular depression may relate to the discovery of a stone cist, flint arrowheads and ashes.
Its story
Communities constructed monuments of this type during the Neolithic or Bronze Age. Other nearby cairns have been destroyed, making Woodside an important survivor; antiquarian digging in the eighteenth century altered part of its profile.
Why it is included
Scheduling recognises the mound’s potential to explain prehistoric burial, ritual practice and a wider group of now-fragmentary monuments.
What to notice
- The low rounded profile of the mound.
- Exposed stones within the grass cover.
- An off-centre hollow associated with early investigation.
Reading the surroundings
Do not cross walls, fences or enclosed ground without a clear right of access. Never dig, remove stone or disturb turf and archaeological deposits.
Timeline
- Neolithic or Bronze Age A community raised a cairn within a wider ritual landscape.
- 18th century Investigation reportedly found a cist, flints and burnt remains.
- Modern period Scheduling protected the surviving mound and its buried evidence.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The cairn’s exact date, original contents, relationship to lost neighbours and current access were not established.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Woodside Cairn, SM11020 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM11020 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 94192 65978 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms record identity and archival context. · 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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