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Guthrie Hill cairn is a Bronze Age burial monument situated in Angus, Scotland, standing upon bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. This geological foundation, composed of sandstone interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone, was formed during the Pragian period of the Early Devonian. The underlying stone would have shaped both the construction materials available to prehistoric builders and the landscape's character.
Cairns of this period typically served as monuments to the dead, constructed by heaping stone across a burial or cremation deposit. The mound's siting on Guthrie Hill suggests deliberate placement in a prominent location, visible across the surrounding terrain—a common practice for Bronze Age funerary monuments that marked significant territories and commemorated the deceased.
The cairn is now protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's reference SM5935, recognising its archaeological importance. As a surviving example of Bronze Age mortuary practice in eastern Scotland, Guthrie Hill cairn contributes to understanding the ritual and social structures of prehistoric Angus.
Guthrie Hill,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5935. View the official record →
Guthrie Hill cairn is a Bronze Age burial monument situated in Angus, Scotland, standing upon bedrock of the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5935.
Guthrie 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 SM5935.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Damside Cottages,pit circle and pit alignments 200m SSE of (2.9 km), Damside Cottages,settlement 400m E of (3 km), Dumbarrow Hill, dun 230m ENE of Hillkirk (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Guthrie 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.
Guthrie Hill,cairn stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.