Scheduled MonumentsScotlandCreag na Caillich,stone axe working site
Stone axe working site

Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site

Scotland
HES SM5373
Site type
Stone axe working site
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Creag na Caillich is a stone axe working site located in Perthshire, Scotland. The site lies upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a sequence of sedimentary rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic period, comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite. This underlying geology provided the raw material exploited by prehistoric toolmakers who worked stone axes at this location. The site represents evidence of localised axe production, a craft practised across Scotland during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods when ground stone axes were essential implements for woodland clearance, butchering and construction.

The presence of a working site at Creag na Caillich demonstrates how prehistoric communities selected quarrying locations based on the availability of suitable rock types in the local landscape. The combination of accessible stone outcrops and the particular properties of the Argyll Group sediments made this Perthshire location suitable for axe manufacture and finishing. Such sites are archaeologically significant as they reveal the organisation of stone tool production and the technological choices made by early communities.

Creag na Caillich is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM5373, recognising its importance as evidence of prehistoric craft production and land use in Perthshire.

Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5373. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site?

Creag na Caillich is a stone axe working site located in Perthshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5373.

Who is responsible for protecting Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site?

Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site 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 SM5373.

What other scheduled monuments are near Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Allt Dhuin Croisg, farmstead (2.7 km), Duncroisk, cross-incised rock 325m NE of (2.9 km), Allt Dhuin Croisg, peat stores (2.9 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site

Creag na Caillich,stone axe working site stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.