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Torr na Sithinn Wood Cairn is a Bronze Age monument situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, constructed upon bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion dating to the Silurian period. The stone-built mound would have served as a burial marker or ceremonial monument, typical of cairn-building communities across north-east Scotland during the Bronze Age. The darker, mineral-rich igneous rock underlying the site would have shaped the local stone available for the cairn's construction.
The monument's name, referencing the Gaelic "sithinn" (fairy) and "torr" (hill), reflects the landscape's long cultural history. Its location in the Aberdeenshire landscape, where Ordovician and Silurian geology dominates, places it within a region rich in prehistoric archaeology. The Silurian bedrock, part of the Scottish Midland Valley's complex geology, provides context for understanding how Bronze Age communities interacted with their geological environment.
The cairn is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11400, ensuring its preservation as part of Scotland's archaeological heritage. Such monuments remain important evidence of burial practices, territorial significance and social organisation among prehistoric communities in north-east Scotland.
Torr na Sithinn Wood, cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11400. View the official record →
Torr na Sithinn Wood Cairn is a Bronze Age monument situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, constructed upon bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion dating to the Silurian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11400.
Torr na Sithinn Wood, 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 SM11400.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Birkford, burnt mound 420m N of (0.6 km), Tulloch, cupmarks 335m SW of (2.6 km), Balgrennie, hut circle and field system 3170m WNW of (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Torr na Sithinn Wood, 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.
Torr na Sithinn Wood, cairn stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.