© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Mains of Altries is a Bronze Age ring cairn located in Kincardineshire, Scotland. The monument comprises a circular stone structure typical of the Bronze Age period, when such cairns served ritual or funerary purposes across northern Britain. Ring cairns are distinguished by their doughnut-like form—a central hollow enclosed by a ring of stones—and this example sits upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic sequence of metamorphic rocks comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite. These ancient sedimentary strata have weathered to provide the stone suitable for cairn construction in this landscape.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM12566, recognising its archaeological significance. The Kincardineshire landscape in which it stands contains numerous Bronze Age monuments, reflecting the region's sustained occupation during the second millennium BC. The precise function of ring cairns remains subject to scholarly interpretation, though their formal construction and often isolated siting suggest important ceremonial or commemorative roles within their Bronze Age communities.
Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12566. View the official record →
Mains of Altries is a Bronze Age ring cairn located in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12566.
Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE 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 SM12566.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including South Brachmont,mound and stone setting 760m NNW of (4.6 km), Clune Wood, stone circle 280m NNE of Monthammock (6.3 km), Clune Wood,cairn 900m SE of Woodlands School (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE of'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.
Mains of Altries, ring cairn 70m NE of stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.