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Bieldside Cairn is a burial monument located near Cults in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The cairn sits upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic formation comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite—metamorphic rocks that give the surrounding landscape its distinctive character. Like other cairns of Bronze Age origin found across the northeast of Scotland, this monument would have served as a funerary structure, constructed by piling stone to mark and contain the remains of the deceased and their grave goods.
The monument lies in an agricultural region where similar burial cairns are scattered across the landscape, testament to patterns of settlement and ritual practice in prehistoric times. The underlying geology would have shaped both the availability of building stone and the local topography that determined where Bronze Age communities chose to establish their burial grounds.
Bieldside Cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM3956, recognising its archaeological significance and ensuring its preservation for future study and understanding of Aberdeenshire's prehistoric heritage.
Bieldside, cairn, Cults is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3956. View the official record →
Bieldside Cairn is a burial monument located near Cults in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3956.
Bieldside, cairn, Cults 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 SM3956.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craigentath,field systems and houses 250m SE of (5.5 km), Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE of (5.7 km), Craighead,stone circle 70m NNE of Hilltop Lodge (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bieldside, cairn, Cults'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.
Bieldside, cairn, Cults stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.