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Sourhope is a cairn located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. The monument stands at approximately 1150 metres north-north-west of the settlement, positioned on upland terrain underlain by Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks. These volcanic materials, primarily mafic lavas and tuffs formed during the Devonian period, create a landscape of modest relief characteristic of the rolling moorland of south-eastern Scotland.
The cairn represents a funerary monument of Bronze Age date, built from stone gathered on or near the site. Such structures served as burial markers and ritual focal points within the prehistoric landscape, and their elevated positions often allowed them to function as visual landmarks across the surrounding terrain. The construction technique—stone piling without mortar—reflects building practices common across upland Britain during the second millennium before Christ.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM4826, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. Its survival on open moorland, albeit in the landscape vulnerable to degradation, preserves evidence of ancient settlement patterns and burial practices in this remote region of the Borders.
Sourhope,cairn 1150m NNW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4826. View the official record →
Sourhope is a cairn located in Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4826.
Sourhope,cairn 1150m NNW 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 SM4826.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round cairn west of Windy Gyle, 680m WNW of Russell's Cairn (6.1 km), Windy Gyle,cairns 480m & 700m NE of summit of (6.2 km), Russell's Cairn on Windy Gyle (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Sourhope,cairn 1150m NNW 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.
Sourhope,cairn 1150m NNW of stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.