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Pole Hill is a cairn located in Perthshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock composed of Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lava and tuff formed during the Devonian period. This ancient volcanic geology underpins the landscape in which the cairn was constructed, and the stone used in its construction would have been gathered from local sources shaped by these same geological processes.
Cairns of this type are funerary or ceremonial monuments, typically constructed during the Bronze Age or earlier periods. Built as heaps of stone, they often served as burial markers or ritual focal points within the prehistoric landscape. The precise date of Pole Hill's construction and original form cannot be determined without excavation, though its position in the Perthshire uplands places it within territory rich in archaeological remains from antiquity.
The cairn remains a testament to the persistence of human activity in upland Perthshire across millennia. Its survival into the present day reflects both the durability of stone construction and the protective status it has received. As a scheduled monument, Pole Hill contributes to understanding patterns of prehistoric settlement and burial practice across the Scottish Highlands.
Pole Hill, cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6928. View the official record →
Pole Hill is a cairn located in Perthshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6928.
Pole 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 SM6928.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Prehistoric settlement, 575m SSW of Clashbenny (5.9 km), Rhynd,old parish church 250m SW of Easter Rhynd (7.6 km), Moated settlement 414m SW of Mains of Kinmonth (8.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Pole 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.
Pole Hill, cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.