Monument record MHG926 - Chambered Long Cairn, Tulach an T-Sionnaich

Tulach an t'Sionnaich (NAT), Chambered Cairn (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1975)

Tulach an t'Sionnaich, the Mound of the Fox, is a multi-period chambered cairn, which was excavated by Corcoran in September 1961 and April 1963, in advance of raising of level of Loch Calder, which would threaten site. Before excavation, its general appearance was that of a long cairn, unhorned and possibly disturbed, but retaining most of its structural features. It was 200ft long, lying NNW-SSE and averaging 40 ft in breadth with higher and broader end, 6ft in max height, towards S. A prominent feature was a 'trench' crossing cairn about 50ft from S end.
The excavation showed that monument had originated as a minimal, round cairn, about 35ft in diameter, covering a passage grave consisting of a square chamber whose 7ft long passage had opened to S, but was carefully blocked. The outer ends of passage were bonded into revetment wall which had bounded the cairn. Between E side of chamber and revetment, an inner wall, roughly built but quite stable, was traceable for 18ft from where it was bonded into E side of passage to where it was lost in disturbance.
After an independent, though possibly short existence, this cairn, which comparison with Vementry (HU26SE 1) suggests may have stood on a heel-shaped platform, was enclosed within a heel-shaped cairn, first to be identified on mainland of Scotland, whose 'narrow plan would place it early in the typological sequence of this class of monument. The facade, built across entrance to passage, was unbroken. Disturbance, both prehistoric and recent, prevented recovery of complete plan but it appeared to have measured c53ft from facade to rear and 51ft across chord of the facade. N limit was in area of 'trench' where disturbed remains of drystone walling about 18ins high were identified.
After time lapse sufficient to allow slip from heel-shaped cairn to accrue to depth of c1ft in forecourt, whole structure was encapsulated in long cairn whose straight S end ran across facade of heel-shaped cairn, and which was completely surrounded by a low revetment wall. The long cairn was straight-sided, 127ft long, and tapered slightly from width of 34ft across its pseudo-facade to 26ft at slightly convex N end. It was aligned c15 E of axis of heel-shaped cairn, presumably to use a natural ridge to enhance its height which, except at S end was nowhere more than 3ft. Selective cuts in body of cairn revealed cist-like arrangements of stones, which, however proved to be part of cairn structure.
Few finds were made but pottery suggested to Corcoran that the heel-shaped cairn was in use during floruit of undecorated Neolithic pottery; that it went out of use about period of local arrival of Beakers; and that long cairn was complete before deposition of a cinerary urn outside revetment wall. Finds from excavation are in NMAS, donated by DoE.
J X W P Corcoran 1967; A S Henshall 1972; NMAS 1977.

Cairn as described. Resurveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (R D) 22 October 1964.

Tulach an t-Sionnaich, a chambered cairn generally as described by Corcoran. S and SW sides, including chamber have been eroded by waters of Loch Calder but main body of cairn remains turf-covered.
Revised at 1:2500. Visited by OS (N K B) 17 September 1981.