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Broomy Knowes is a cairn in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, constructed from stone gathered across a landscape underlain by Dinantian extrusive rocks formed during the Mississippian period. The bedrock geology—comprising mafic lava and mafic tuff—would have provided abundant stone suitable for cairn building, from weathered surface fragments to larger blocks extracted from outcrop. This dark igneous geology is characteristic of the volcanic episodes that shaped the Carboniferous landscape of central Scotland.
The cairn occupies a location within territory that would have held significance for prehistoric communities. Such monuments typically marked burial sites or served as territorial markers, constructed by societies with organised labour and clearly defined ritual practices. The survival of the cairn in the Linlithgow area provides evidence of Bronze Age or Iron Age settlement patterns in this lowland region.
The monument is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's reference SM6208, recognising its importance as a prehistoric structure. Its preservation allows for continued study of burial practices, land use and the relationship between communities and their geological environment in Linlithgowshire's ancient past.
Broomy Knowes, cairn S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6208. View the official record →
Broomy Knowes is a cairn in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, constructed from stone gathered across a landscape underlain by Dinantian extrusive rocks formed during the Mississippian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6208.
Broomy Knowes, cairn S 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 SM6208.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craigmailing,cross slab 550m NW of (2.9 km), Windywa's Silvermine, silvermine 300m SW of Wester Tartraven (3.6 km), Cairnpapple Hill, prehistoric ceremonial complex (3.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Broomy Knowes, cairn S 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.
Broomy Knowes, cairn S of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.