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Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located on the Isle of Great Bernera in Ross-shire, Scotland. The site sits upon ancient Proterozoic gneiss bedrock, formed during the Mesoproterozoic era, which has weathered to expose the characteristically banded metamorphic stone visible across the Hebridean landscape. This durable foundation provided the local stone from which the standing stones were fashioned, ensuring their survival across millennia on this exposed northern island.
The monument comprises upright stone slabs erected during the Bronze Age, a period when such ritual and territorial markers were commonly established throughout Scotland. Standing stones served multiple functions within prehistoric communities, including ceremonial, astronomical, burial, or commemorative purposes. The precise Bronze Age function of this particular monument remains undetermined, though its prominent position on Great Bernera suggests significance within the island's ancient settlement patterns.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM5548, recognising its archaeological importance. The harsh maritime climate and thin island soils have preserved the stones relatively intact, offering insight into Bronze Age monument construction techniques and the communities who inhabited the Outer Hebrides during this transformative prehistoric period.
Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh / Standing Stones, Barraglom, Great Bernera is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5548. View the official record →
Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located on the Isle of Great Bernera in Ross-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5548.
Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh / Standing Stones, Barraglom, Great Bernera dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a barraglom, beàrnaraigh / standing stones, barraglom, great bernera. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh / Standing Stones, Barraglom, Great Bernera 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 SM5548.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dun Barraglom,broch,cup marked rocks,fish traps and settlement (0.3 km), Aird Callanish,cairn 200m SW of,Crulivig (1 km), Airigh Mhaoldonuich,fallen standing stone (1.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh / Standing Stones, Barraglom, Great Bernera'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.
Tursachan, Barraglom, Beàrnaraigh / Standing Stones, Barraglom, Great Bernera stands on Proterozoic I gneiss, bedrock that formed in the Mesoproterozoic. The rock here is gneiss; undifferentiated metamorphic.