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Shaw Hill is a cairn situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. Like other cairns of Bronze Age origin, it comprises a mound of stones raised over a burial or ceremonial site. The monument stands on bedrock of the Lanark Group, a geological formation of Early Devonian age comprising sandstone and conglomerate beds, which would have been a familiar landscape to the communities who built and used this site.
Cairns served multiple purposes within Bronze Age societies, functioning as repositories for the deceased and as prominent markers within the landscape. The location of Shaw Hill on exposed Lanark Group geology suggests the builders would have had access to suitable stone from the immediate vicinity. The monument's survival into the present day indicates its construction was substantial enough to withstand natural erosion and agricultural activity across the intervening millennia.
Shaw Hill is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3236. This designation recognises its archaeological significance and ensures that the site is safeguarded for future study and preservation. The protection reflects the importance of such monuments in understanding Bronze Age settlement patterns, burial practices and land use across the Southern Uplands region of Scotland.
Shaw Hill,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3236. View the official record →
Shaw Hill is a cairn situated in Peeblesshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3236.
Shaw 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 SM3236.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Broughtonknowe, ring enclosures & barrow 420m NE of (6.2 km), Broughtonknowe,three barrows 230m SE of (6.6 km), Broughton Knowe,ring enclosures (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Shaw 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.
Shaw Hill,cairn stands on Lanark Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.