© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Auchencairn is a cairn located 500 metres north-north-east of the village of Auchencairn in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of the Gala Group, a formation of wacke stone laid down during the Telychian period of the Silurian, some 430 million years ago. This grey, hard sedimentary rock forms the underlying geology of much of the Southern Uplands in this region.
Cairns of this type are burial monuments, typically constructed from stone gathered from the surrounding landscape and built over burials of high-status individuals during the prehistoric period. The substantial character of such monuments speaks to the importance of those interred beneath them. The precise date of Auchencairn cairn remains uncertain without excavation, though many examples in south-western Scotland date to the Bronze Age, roughly 2300 to 800 BC.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland designation SM10540, recognising its archaeological significance. Such protection ensures that the monument's integrity is preserved for future research and understanding, maintaining one of the landscape's enduring links to Scotland's ancient past. The cairn remains a visible testimony to prehistoric burial practices in this part of Dumfriesshire.
Auchencairn, cairn 500m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10540. View the official record →
Auchencairn is a cairn located 500 metres north-north-east of the village of Auchencairn in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM10540.
Auchencairn, cairn 500m NNE of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM10540.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Belt,fort,High Townhead (5.4 km), Moat,enclosure 300m NW of (6 km), Bankhead,Roman fort,Dalswinton (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Auchencairn, cairn 500m NNE of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Auchencairn, cairn 500m NNE of stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.