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Bosta is a prehistoric settlement located north and north-west of the cemetery on Great Bernera in Ross-shire, Scotland. The site occupies terrain underlain by Proterozoic I gneiss, one of the oldest rock formations in Britain, which was formed during the Mesoproterozoic era more than 1,000 million years ago. This ancient metamorphic bedrock provided the raw material for construction and reflects the long human presence on the island.
The settlement sits within the distinctive landscape of Great Bernera, part of the Outer Hebrides. Its positioning relative to the cemetery suggests a planned arrangement of settlement and burial grounds typical of early Atlantic coastal communities. The gneiss bedrock would have offered both building stone and evidence of occupation patterns, with natural outcrops and worked stone visible across the site.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM7335, recognising its importance in understanding early settlement patterns in the Hebrides. The combination of the site's location, its relationship to burial grounds, and its foundation on ancient Proterozoic stone makes Bosta an important record of prehistoric habitation in Scotland's north-western islands.
Bosta, settlement N & NW of cemetery, Great Bernera is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7335. View the official record →
Bosta is a prehistoric settlement located north and north-west of the cemetery on Great Bernera in Ross-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7335.
Bosta, settlement N & NW of cemetery, Great Bernera 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 SM7335.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Beinn an Teampuill, chapel & graveyard, Little Bernera (1.4 km), Dun Stuigh,dun,Great Bernera (1.6 km), St Peter's Church, Pabay Mor, Lewis (4.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bosta, settlement N & NW of cemetery, Great Bernera'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.
Bosta, settlement N & NW of cemetery, Great Bernera stands on Proterozoic I gneiss, bedrock that formed in the Mesoproterozoic. The rock here is gneiss; undifferentiated metamorphic.