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Mountmarle is a cairn situated 260 metres south-west of Mountmarle in Midlothian. This Bronze Age monument stands upon bedrock of the Clackmannan Group, sedimentary rocks laid down during the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous. The cairn's construction would have utilised stones gathered from the surrounding landscape, built by communities for whom monumental burial or ceremonial purposes were central to their social practice.
The site sits within an area of South Midlothian characterised by geological formations typical of the industrial coalfields region. The Clackmannan Group rocks beneath the cairn represent ancient depositional cycles formed over 300 million years ago. This geological foundation has provided the raw material base that shaped settlement and resource exploitation in the locality throughout subsequent millennia.
The cairn is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1159, recognising its significance as part of Scotland's prehistoric heritage. Such monuments are valued for their archaeological potential and their role in understanding Bronze Age societies, even where ground investigation has not yet taken place. The cairn remains an important landscape feature reflecting the enduring presence of prehistoric communities in Midlothian.
Mountmarle,cairn 260m SW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1159. View the official record →
Mountmarle is a cairn situated 260 metres south-west of Mountmarle in Midlothian. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1159.
Mountmarle,cairn 260m SW 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 SM1159.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Capielaw, enclosed settlement (2.9 km), Newbigging,enclosure 400m NE of (3 km), Old Woodhouselee Castle (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Mountmarle,cairn 260m SW 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.
Mountmarle,cairn 260m SW of stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.