Scheduled MonumentsScotlandLatheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of
Neolithic · Long cairn

Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of

Scotland
HES SM5233
Period
Neolithic
Site type
Long cairn
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Latheronwheel House is a Neolithic long cairn situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, approximately 850 metres south-east of Latheronwheel House itself. The monument dates to the Neolithic period, when such elongated burial structures served as communal tombs for early farming communities. Long cairns of this type are characteristic of northern Britain and typically comprise a stone-built mound covering a chambered burial space.

The cairn sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, laid down during the Middle Devonian period. This geology comprises a varied sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, which would have provided the local stone sources used in the monument's construction. The landscape of Caithness, with its exposed sedimentary bedrock and sparse vegetation, offered limited building materials, making stone cairn construction both practical and enduring.

The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5233, reflecting its significance as evidence of Neolithic settlement and burial practice in northern Scotland. Long cairns remain important archaeological records of early agricultural societies and their ritual practices, offering insights into the organisation and beliefs of communities living several millennia before the modern era.

Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5233. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of?

Latheronwheel House is a Neolithic long cairn situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland, approximately 850 metres south-east of Latheronwheel House itself. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5233.

What period does Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of date from?

Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a long cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of?

Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of 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 SM5233.

What other scheduled monuments are near Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Knockinnon Castle, 400m ENE of Knockinnon (0.9 km), Knockinnon,broch (1.5 km), Inver,fort,post medieval house and look-out post 570m SE of (3.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of

Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.