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Cairntosh Hill is a Bronze Age cairn located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. The monument sits on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a formation of wacke sandstone laid down during the Wenlock period of the Silurian era, some 430 million years ago. This durable local stone would have been readily available to the cairn's builders and may have been used in its construction.
The cairn belongs to a widespread tradition of burial monuments erected across Scotland during the Bronze Age, typically between 4,000 and 3,500 years ago. Such structures commonly marked the graves of individuals of status within their communities, often accompanied by grave goods reflecting the deceased's rank or occupation. The monument's survival on the Kirkcudbrightshire landscape reflects the enduring character of stone-built memorials.
Cairntosh Hill cairn is recorded in the national database of archaeological monuments and is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM2237. This statutory protection recognises its significance as a physical record of Bronze Age burial practices and society in south-west Scotland.
Cairntosh Hill,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2237. View the official record →
Cairntosh Hill is a Bronze Age cairn located in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2237.
Cairntosh Hill,cairn 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 SM2237.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Prehistoric enclosure, Camp Hill (5.7 km), Boreland Mote,earthwork 500m NNE of (6.5 km), Boreland Mote,motte (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairntosh Hill,cairn'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.
Cairntosh Hill,cairn stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.