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Cairn Holy is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, standing approximately 190 metres south-south-west of the settlement of Cairnholy. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating from the Wenlock period, which provided the local stone used in its construction. As a chambered cairn, the structure would have served as a communal burial monument for the Neolithic communities who inhabited this part of south-western Scotland, likely constructed during the fourth millennium before Christ.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90050. Chambered cairns of this type are typically composed of stone rubble piled over one or more internal burial chambers, often arranged with a formal entrance passage. The specific topography and geology of the Cairnholy location, situated upon the sloping wacke bedrock, would have shaped both the monument's construction and its subsequent survival.
The cairn represents an important record of Neolithic funerary practice and social organisation in Kirkcudbrightshire. Such monuments often remained focal points in the landscape for centuries after their initial construction, and their study contributes significantly to understanding settlement patterns, resource management and belief systems in prehistoric south-western Scotland.
Cairn Holy, chambered cairn 190m SSW of Cairnholy is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90050. View the official record →
Cairn Holy is a Neolithic chambered cairn located in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, standing approximately 190 metres south-south-west of the settlement of Cairnholy. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90050.
Cairn Holy, chambered cairn 190m SSW of Cairnholy dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn 190m ssw of cairnholy. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn Holy, chambered cairn 190m SSW of Cairnholy 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 SM90050.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn Holy, chambered cairn 35m S of Cairnholy (0.2 km), Kirkdale House,six cup & ring marked stones (0.7 km), Kirkdale House,two cross slabs (0.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn Holy, chambered cairn 190m SSW of Cairnholy'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 Holy, chambered cairn 190m SSW of Cairnholy stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.