Scheduled MonumentsScotlandTordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of
Bronze Age · Ring cairn

Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of

Scotland
HES SM11559
Period
Bronze Age
Site type
Ring cairn
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Tordarroch is a Bronze Age ring cairn located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, approximately 250 metres east of the settlement of Tordarroch. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduled monument reference SM11559. Ring cairns are a distinctive funerary form of the Bronze Age, comprising a rubble mound enclosed by a stone kerb, often with an internal stone platform. They typically contained cremated remains and represent an evolution of earlier cairn types, reflecting changing burial practices during the second millennium before the Common Era.

The cairn sits upon bedrock of the Moine Supergroup, a metamorphic sequence of semipelite and other metasedimentary rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era over 600 million years ago. This ancient, durable bedrock provides a geologically stable foundation for the monument, common throughout the Highlands. The Moine rocks in this region are characterised by their resistance to erosion, which has allowed Bronze Age monuments built upon them to survive into the modern period.

The survival of Tordarroch ring cairn reflects the enduring nature of both its geological setting and its construction methods. As a scheduled monument, it forms part of the archaeological record of Bronze Age funerary practice in the Scottish Highlands, representing a significant period in the cultural and social development of prehistoric Scotland.

Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11559. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of?

Tordarroch is a Bronze Age ring cairn located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, approximately 250 metres east of the settlement of Tordarroch. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11559.

What period does Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of date from?

Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of?

Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E 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 SM11559.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Depopulated township, 400m SE of Balloan (1.1 km), Milton of Tordarroch, fort 800m S of (2.1 km), Glen Nairn, hut circle 270m ENE of (2.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of

Tordarroch, ring cairn 250m E of stands on Moine Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is semipelite.