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Cnoc a' Phrionnsa is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Ross-shire, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Lewisian Complex gneiss, formed during the Proterozoic eon, which provides the underlying geology of much of the Scottish Highlands. Like other cairns of its type and period, it would have served as a communal burial monument, constructed by early farming communities around 4000 to 3000 BC. The name, translating from Gaelic as "the Prince's Hill," reflects local tradition and suggests the site held particular significance within its landscape.
The cairn's construction exploited the natural gneiss bedrock beneath it, typical of Neolithic builders who worked with locally available stone. The chamber, characteristic of such monuments, would have been built to contain successive burials and ritual deposits, with the mound covering and protecting the internal structure. The gneiss substrate would have provided both practical building stone and a stable foundation for the monument's long survival.
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM5382, recognising its archaeological importance and its place within the Neolithic heritage of Ross-shire. Like other chambered cairns across northern Scotland, it represents a significant investment of community labour and reveals patterns of settlement, burial practice and belief among early agricultural peoples in the region.
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa,chambered cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5382. View the official record →
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Ross-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5382.
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa,chambered cairn dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa,chambered 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 SM5382.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Macra's Church,Kirkibost (2.1 km), Calanais or Callanish Standing Stones (2.5 km), Rubha nan Sidhean,cupmarked rocks and fish trap,Kirkibost (2.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cnoc a' Phrionnsa,chambered 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.
Cnoc a' Phrionnsa,chambered cairn stands on Lewisian Complex, bedrock that formed in the Proterozoic. The rock here is gneiss.