Scheduled Monument

Cairnfauld, stone circle 120m NNE ofSM972

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
17/07/1925
Last Date Amended
13/02/2003
Supplementary Information Updated
25/07/2018
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: stone circle or ring
Local Authority
Aberdeenshire
Parish
Durris
NGR
NO 75341 94065
Coordinates
375341, 794065

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a stone circle of prehistoric date, which lies on the south shoulder of a ridge 120m NNE of Cairnfauld Farmhouse.

The monument was first scheduled in 1925, but the original documentation is missing and the area is inadequately defined. The monument is being re-scheduled to clarify the extent of the protected area.

The stone circle measures approximately 21m in diameter, although only three of the five stones now visible are in situ. Two of them stand within the thickness of a consumption dyke. The tallest of the stones stands about 1.8m high and lies to the S, with those to the SW and E measuring 1.5m and 1.3m in height respectively. A fourth stone, originally erected to the W, lies prostrate immediately W of the SW stone; and a fifth, which now lies across the circumference of the circle, may have been re-erected to the N in c.1877. Human bones were discovered near the centre of the circle in the 19th century.

The area to be scheduled is a circle 40m in diameter centred on the centre of the circle, to include the remains of the stone circle and an area around in which traces of activities associated with the construction and use of the monument may survive, as shown in red on the attached map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as the remains of a prehistoric stone circle and one of a cluster in the local vicinity. It has the potential to provide important information about prehistoric ritual activity in this area.

References

Bibliography

The RCAHMS number is NO 79 SE 1.

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: 30/04/2024 08:14