Scheduled Monument

Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of DunSM862

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
31/10/1970
Last Date Amended
26/11/2015
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: cairn (type uncertain)
Local Authority
Angus
Parish
Dun
NGR
NO 67082 59541
Coordinates
367082, 759541

Legal Description

The monument is a burial cairn dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 2500 BC and 800 BC). It is visible as a large, grass-covered mound. The cairn is situated on a low rise 25m above sea level, overlooking the Montrose Basin which lies about 800m to the SE.

 

Description

The monument is a burial cairn dating probably to the Bronze Age (between about 2500 BC and 800 BC). It is visible as a large, grass-covered mound. The cairn is situated on a low rise 25m above sea level, overlooking the Montrose Basin which lies about 800m to the SE.

The upstanding burial cairn measures around 26m in diameter. The top of the mound has a level surface measuring some 12m in diameter. The cairn stands about 1.6m high from most viewpoints, but appears higher when seen from the E. Water-worn cobbles are visible in places beneath the turf.

The scheduled area is circular on plan, measuring 46m in diameter, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above-ground elements of the post-and-wire fence surrounding the cairn are specifically excluded from the scheduling to allow for their maintenance. The monument was first scheduled in 1970, but the present amendment provides documents to modern standards.

Statement of National Importance

The monument has inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, particularly the design and construction of burial monuments, and the nature of belief systems and burial practices during the Bronze Age in Angus. Ritual and funerary monuments are a major source of evidence for human activity during the Bronze Age in Scotland and are particularly important for enhancing our understanding of Bronze Age society, its organisation, economy, religion and demography. This mound retains good field characteristics and appears little disturbed, allowing us to interpret its original form and function. It retains high potential for buried archaeological remains including burials, artefacts and palaeoenvironmental evidence. Burial monuments such as this are an important component of the wider prehistoric landscape of land-use, settlement and ritual. This example is particularly interesting as it has a relatively open aspect within the landscape, with views across the Montrose Basin. The loss of the monument would diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand funerary practice and approaches to death and burial in prehistoric times, and the placing of such monuments within the landscape.

References

Bibliography

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore.html CANMORE ID 35682.

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

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Printed: 01/05/2024 01:44