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The Thieves is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located on Blair Hill in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. The stone stands upon bedrock of the Shinnel and Glenlee Formations, ancient wacke deposits laid down during the Ashgill period of the Ordovician. This geological foundation provided a stable base for the monument's erection during the Bronze Age, when such stones were raised across Scotland as ritual and territorial markers.
Standing stones of this period typically served ceremonial or funerary functions within Bronze Age communities, often positioned to command views across the surrounding landscape. The placement on Blair Hill would have offered visibility across the Kirkcudbrightshire terrain, making it a significant focal point within the ancient settlement pattern of the region.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM1044, recognising its archaeological and historical importance. The Thieves remains a tangible connection to the Bronze Age inhabitants of this part of south-west Scotland, preserving evidence of ritual practice and landscape use from over three thousand years ago.
The Thieves, standing stones, Blair Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1044. View the official record →
The Thieves is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located on Blair Hill in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1044.
The Thieves, standing stones, Blair Hill dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stones, blair hill. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The Thieves, standing stones, Blair Hill 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 SM1044.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Napper's Cottage,chambered cairn (0.5 km), Drumfern,cairn and remains of stone circle (0.8 km), Cordorcan, cairn 750m NE of (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The Thieves, standing stones, Blair Hill'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.
The Thieves, standing stones, Blair Hill stands on Shinnel Formation And Glenlee Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is wacke.