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Fairy Knowe is a Bronze Age cairn located on the Hill of Airthrey in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a formation of Pragian sandstone interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone that dates back over 400 million years. This geological foundation has provided a stable base for the cairn's preservation through the millennia.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2543, recognising its importance as an archaeological asset. Cairns of this type typically functioned as burial monuments during the Bronze Age, constructed as stone heaps to mark the final resting places of the dead and to make prominent territorial or commemorative statements across the landscape.
The Hill of Airthrey's elevated position in Stirlingshire would have made Fairy Knowe visible across the surrounding terrain, a characteristic feature of Bronze Age cairn placement. The specific local geology has influenced both the construction materials available to its builders and the conditions under which the monument has survived to the present day.
Fairy Knowe,cairn,Hill of Airthrey is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2543. View the official record →
Fairy Knowe is a Bronze Age cairn located on the Hill of Airthrey in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2543.
Fairy Knowe,cairn,Hill of Airthrey 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 SM2543.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hollandbush,limekilns 100m W of (5.8 km), Gillies Hill,fort (7 km), Wallstale,dun (7.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Fairy Knowe,cairn,Hill of Airthrey'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.
Fairy Knowe,cairn,Hill of Airthrey stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.