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Oslie is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated 250 metres south of Lynegar House in Caithness, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation dating to the Middle Devonian period, which would have influenced both the construction materials available to its builders and the drainage characteristics of the site. Chambered cairns of this type were communal burial monuments constructed during the Neolithic period, typically comprising a stone-built chamber or chambers covered by a substantial mound of stones and earth.
The cairn at Oslie represents an important survival of Neolithic monumental architecture in the far north of Scotland. The underlying geology of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone provided readily workable stone for the construction of the chamber structure and outer cairn, though the exposed upland location would have presented considerable challenges to its Neolithic builders. The site is characteristic of the dispersed distribution of chambered cairns across Caithness and the wider north of Scotland.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM472, ensuring its preservation for future study and public understanding of Scotland's Neolithic heritage.
Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM472. View the official record →
Oslie is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated 250 metres south of Lynegar House in Caithness, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM472.
Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn 250m s of lynegar house. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House 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 SM472.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Green Hill Broch, 40m W of Grant Hall (1.8 km), Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE of (3.1 km), Gallow Hillock, cairn on Backlass Hill (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House'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.
Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.