Scheduled MonumentsScotlandWalkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill
Cairn 500m s of summit of cairn hill

Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill

Scotland
HES SM2763
Site type
Cairn 500m s of summit of cairn hill
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Walkerburn Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated 500 metres south of the summit of Cairn Hill in Peeblesshire, Scottish Borders. The cairn lies on bedrock of the Gala Group, a formation of hard wacke stone laid down in the Telychian period of the Silurian era, which gives the surrounding landscape its characteristic steep, rocky character typical of the Moorfoot Hills.

The cairn represents a form of monumental burial practice that dates to the Bronze Age, when communities across Scotland erected heaps of stone to mark the graves of their dead. Such cairns often contained cremated remains deposited in urns or cists, and sometimes accumulated multiple burials over generations. The construction of cairns required considerable communal effort and served as permanent territorial markers visible across the moorland landscape.

The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled ancient monument under reference SM2763. Like many upland cairns, its survival has been aided by its location on open moorland, where later agricultural development and urban growth have not disturbed it. The site remains an important record of Bronze Age funerary practices in the Scottish Borders.

Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2763. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill?

Walkerburn Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated 500 metres south of the summit of Cairn Hill in Peeblesshire, Scottish Borders. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2763.

Who is responsible for protecting Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill?

Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn 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 SM2763.

What other scheduled monuments are near Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Prehistoric settlement, 170m SW of West Bold Cottages (1.8 km), Plora Tower, tower house, garden terraces and associated structures, 335m SW of West Bold Farm Cottages (1.9 km), Pirn Wood,fort (3.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill

Walkerburn, cairn 500m S of summit of Cairn Hill stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.