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Duntilland Hill is a cairn situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The monument occupies ground underlain by the Scottish Coal Measures Group, geological formations laid down in the Moscovian period and comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This varied bedrock, typical of the Carboniferous coal-bearing strata of central Scotland, would have presented specific challenges and opportunities for the monument's construction.
Cairns of this type were commonly raised over burial sites or as territorial markers during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The builders of Duntilland Hill would have gathered stones from the local landscape to construct the mound, selecting materials suited to the geology of the Lanarkshire plateau. The monument's survival to the present day, despite later land use and settlement in the industrial regions of south Lanarkshire, reflects its scale or fortunate position.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM4245, recognising its importance as evidence of early settlement and ritual practice in this area of Scotland. The cairn remains a significant archaeological feature within the landscape of central Scotland.
Duntilland Hill, cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4245. View the official record →
Duntilland Hill is a cairn situated in Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4245.
Duntilland 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 SM4245.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mid Bracco, hut circles 350m W of (1.9 km), Mid Bracco, deserted farmstead (1.9 km), Drumfin, deserted settlement 200m W of (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Duntilland 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.
Duntilland Hill, cairn stands on Scottish Coal Measures Group, bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.