© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument forming part of a complex of four cairns sited together in a single field near Derry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits on bedrock of the Argyll Group, metamorphic rocks of psammite, semipelite and pelite laid down during the Neoproterozoic era, which provide the local stone source for cairn construction. Cairn clusters of this kind typically date to the Bronze Age and served as communal or family burial places, though this particular monument has not been subject to modern archaeological excavation that would establish its precise age and function.
The four cairns clustered in this field represent a concentration of prehistoric funerary activity unusual enough to merit recognition as a significant archaeological complex. Their survival to the present day, despite millennia of cultivation and land use, testifies to their substantial original construction. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division (reference 12524) in recognition of its archaeological and cultural importance to the prehistoric heritage of the region.
Cairn (1 of 4 in same field) is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12524. View the official record →
Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument forming part of a complex of four cairns sited together in a single field near Derry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12524.
Cairn (1 of 4 in same field) dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn complex. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn (1 of 4 in same field) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 12524.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Giant's grave. wedge tomb (5.2 km), Rath (5.8 km), Silver brook house. c17th house (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn (1 of 4 in same field)'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.
Cairn (1 of 4 in same field) stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.