© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Wildshaw Hill is a cairn located 500 metres west-southwest of the summit of Wildshaw Hill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The monument sits on bedrock of the Lanark Group, a geological formation of Early Devonian age comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that underlies much of this upland landscape. This positioning on solid, well-drained foundation stone would have provided a stable base for the cairn's construction.
The cairn represents a funerary or commemorative monument typical of Bronze Age settlement patterns in the Scottish Southern Uplands, where such structures served as enduring markers across open moorland. The elevated location, though not at the hill's highest point, offers commanding views across the surrounding terrain and would have been visible to communities moving through the valley systems below.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM4511, recognising its archaeological significance as part of the regional cairn tradition. The exposure of Early Devonian bedrock across this hillside, with its distinctive interbedded character, has shaped both the landscape's appearance and the materials available to those who constructed and maintained this ancient monument.
Wildshaw Hill,cairn 500m WSW of summit is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4511. View the official record →
Wildshaw Hill is a cairn located 500 metres west-southwest of the summit of Wildshaw Hill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4511.
Wildshaw Hill,cairn 500m WSW of summit 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 SM4511.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Black Hill,fort 650m NW of Craighead (4.8 km), Fagyad Hill,cairn (6.1 km), Arbory Hill,fort (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Wildshaw Hill,cairn 500m WSW of summit'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.
Wildshaw Hill,cairn 500m WSW of summit stands on Lanark Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.