Monument record MHG52831 - Stone feature, west of Langwell House, Strath Oykel

The site of a possible cist was investigated by GUARD in February 2009 as part of a programme of salvage excavation focussed on a cist burial 5 metres to the north. Large slabs had been distubed by a mechanical excavator. The excavation revealed not a cist but a curving, stone-built feature which sat on an old ground surface sealed by half a metre of peat. Iron-panning on the old ground surface suggests that conditions on both sides of the feature were rather wet and it is possible that it was built to contain or delineate a more boggy area from the better drained ground. Its position beneath the peat suggests the feature is of some antiquity and it could be prehistoric date. This site and the nearby cist are located on a slight rise measuring approximately 40 metres east-west by 8 metres. It is conceivable that the stone feature relates to the use of this slight rise during the Bronze Age for ceremonial and funerary purposes. <1>