Scheduled MonumentsScotlandStroanfreggan Bridge,cairn
Cairn

Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn

Scotland
HES SM1043
Site type
Cairn
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Stroanfreggan Bridge Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument located in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The cairn sits upon bedrock of the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations, Caradocian wacke deposits that form part of the Southern Uplands geology of the region. This stone-based monument represents a form of burial practice common across Bronze Age Britain and Ireland, where communities constructed substantial heaps of stone over the graves of their dead.

The cairn is recognised as a significant archaeological asset and has been designated for protection by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1043. Such monuments often commanded prominent positions within the landscape, serving both as burial markers and as enduring memorials to the deceased within their communities. The wacke bedrock upon which it stands would have provided easily accessible stone for its construction.

The survival of the cairn into the present day permits study of Bronze Age funerary practices and settlement patterns in south-west Scotland. Though stone cairns across this region have frequently been disturbed or reduced by subsequent land use, those that remain offer material evidence of prehistoric communities and their relationship with the Kirkcudbrightshire landscape.

Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1043. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn?

Stroanfreggan Bridge Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument located in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1043.

Who is responsible for protecting Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn?

Stroanfreggan Bridge,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 SM1043.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stroanfreggan Craig,fort,Smittens Bridge (0.7 km), Craigengillan,cairn (3.3 km), Dundeugh Castle (5.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn

Stroanfreggan Bridge,cairn stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.