Scheduled MonumentsScotlandUpper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of
Burnt mound

Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of

Scotland
HES SM11453
Site type
Burnt mound
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Upper Drumbuie is a burnt mound situated in Inverness-shire, Scotland, approximately 230 metres north-north-east of the settlement from which it takes its name. The monument represents a prehistoric cooking installation, built during the Bronze Age and consisting of accumulated waste material from repeated heating and use. Such monuments typically comprise layers of burnt stone, charcoal and ash, marking the sites where communities gathered water and heated rocks to cook food or water vessels.

The mound sits on bedrock formed from Lower Old Red Sandstone, laid down during the Early Devonian period. The underlying geology comprises conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, typical of Scotland's ancient landscapes. This solid foundation would have provided a stable base for the accumulation of archaeological material over generations of use.

The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM11453, recognising its significance as evidence of Bronze Age settlement and subsistence practices in the Scottish Highlands. Burnt mounds represent one of the most common classes of prehistoric monument in Britain and Ireland, indicating the prevalence of this cooking practice across widely distributed Bronze Age communities.

Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11453. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of?

Upper Drumbuie is a burnt mound situated in Inverness-shire, Scotland, approximately 230 metres north-north-east of the settlement from which it takes its name. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11453.

Who is responsible for protecting Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of?

Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE 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 SM11453.

What other scheduled monuments are near Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Garbeg Cottage, burial mounds 920m NNE of (1.1 km), Culnakirk Burn, burnt mounds 540m NNW of Garbeg Cottage (1.4 km), Garbeg Cottage, settlement 1250m N of (1.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE 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 Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of

Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of stands on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around Upper Drumbuie, burnt mound 230m NNE of

Battle of CullodenBattle (1746) · ~16.5 miles