Monument record MHG2229 - South Yarrows North Chambered Cairn
Summary
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 30469 43458 (99m by 70m) (Centred) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND34SW |
| Old County | CAITHNESS |
| Civil Parish | WICK |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
Long Cairn (NR) OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
An Orkney-Cromarty type long, horned cairn with a Camster- type chamber. It is 190ft long and varies from 25-45ft in width. The site has been much robbed and is partly overgrown by peat and heather. The chamber has been re-used and a cist, which contained an urn and seventy 'tiny, round lignite disc beads' of a single string jet necklace, inserted in the outer compartment. Ten beads are in NMAS (EO 132); remaining finds have been lost.
A S Henshall 1963; J G Callander 1916. <1><2>
As described and planned by Miss Henshall.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 2 May 1967.
The cairn has a distinct 'head and tail' profile, and, in addition, the excavator noted a wall revetting the back of the round mound containing the chamber. These facts, together with the very short passage, indicate that the cairn originated as a round, chambered cairn too small to effect the plan of the subsequent long cairn, except that the axes of cairn and chamber do not coincide. The cairn is probably relatively late in date.
A S Henshall 1972. <3>
Information added to the public contributions module on Canmore states that the remaining beads from this necklace (seventy two in total) are in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (accession no. 1884.76.133). The beads are recorded as being excavated by Joseph Anderson and Robert Innes Shearer in August 1865. Further information can be found in the Museum's online catalogue. <4>
Sources/Archives (8)
- --- SHG2053 Text/Publication/Volume: Close-Brooks, J. 1986. Exploring Scotland's Heritage: The Highlands. 168-9, No. 97.
- --- SHG2115 Text/Publication/Volume: Davidson, JL and Henshall, A S. 1991. The chambered cairns of Caithness: an inventory of the structures and their contents. 140-2, no. 54; plan.
- --- SHG3917 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph: B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4422 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- <1> SHG357 Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1963. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 1. 291-2, CAT 54; plan.
- <2> SHG1244 Text/Publication/Article: Callander, J G. 1916. 'Notice of a jet necklace found in a cist in a Bronze Age cemetery, discovered on Burgie Lodge Farm, Morayshire, with notes on Scottish prehistoric jet ornaments', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 50 1915-16, p.201-40. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 201-40. 238.
- <3> SHG358 Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1972. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 2. 2. Paper (Original). 220-1, 239, CAT 54; plan.
- <4> SHG23282 Interactive Resource/Online Database: RCAHMS. Canmore, online database of the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). 9068.
Finds (3)
Protected Status/Designation
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Oct 19 2009 1:39PM
