© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Galachlaw cairn is a funerary monument of Neolithic or Bronze Age date located in Midlothian, Scotland. The cairn sits upon Devonian bedrock composed of felsic lava and tuff, part of the region's ancient volcanic geology. This geological foundation reflects the upland setting typical of cairn construction, where stone monuments were built to mark burial sites in areas of exposed or shallow soil.
The cairn belongs to a widespread tradition of stone-built tombs that extends across Scotland and beyond, with examples ranging from Neolithic communal burial chambers to Bronze Age individual burials. The monument's form and surviving structure indicate its role in commemorating the dead within a ritual landscape that would have been meaningful to the prehistoric communities of the Lothian region.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3988, recognising its importance as a scheduled ancient monument. Galachlaw cairn survives as material evidence of funerary practices and landscape use in prehistoric Midlothian, contributing to understanding of settlement patterns and belief systems in the region during the second and early first millennia before the Common Era.
Galachlaw,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3988. View the official record →
Galachlaw cairn is a funerary monument of Neolithic or Bronze Age date located in Midlothian, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3988.
Galachlaw,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 SM3988.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old Woodhouselee Castle (6.7 km), Rullion Green,stone circle (6.8 km), Lawhead Hill,fort 630m NNW of Lawhead (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Galachlaw,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.
Galachlaw,cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is felsic lava and felsic tuff.