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Gallows Knowe is a Iron Age cairn located 340 metres south of House of Dun in Angus, Scotland. The monument sits on bedrock formed during the Devonian period, comprising mafic lava and tuff that create a distinctive geological foundation for this ancient structure. Built during the Iron Age, the cairn would have served as a burial monument or territorial marker within the landscape of what is now east-central Scotland.
The site's position on volcanic bedrock is characteristic of the underlying geology of this region, where Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks form the natural substrate. This geological setting may have influenced both the availability of stone for construction and the choice of location by Iron Age communities. The quality and type of local stone would have shaped how the cairn was built and how successfully it has survived through the millennia.
Gallows Knowe is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM862, ensuring the preservation of this Iron Age burial cairn for future study and appreciation. Its proximity to House of Dun places it within a landscape rich in archaeological interest, reflecting the long human occupation and use of this corner of Angus from prehistoric times onwards.
Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of Dun is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM862. View the official record →
Gallows Knowe is a Iron Age cairn located 340 metres south of House of Dun in Angus, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM862.
Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of Dun dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a cairn 340m s of house of dun. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of Dun 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 SM862.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hawkhill Quarry, ring ditches (7.6 km), Red Castle,Lunan Bay (8.6 km), Red Castle, barrow and settlement 125m SW of Castle View (8.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of Dun'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.
Gallows Knowe, cairn 340m S of House of Dun stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.