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Creag Mhor, Auchindrain

Chambered Cairn (Neolithic)

Site Name Creag Mhor, Auchindrain

Classification Chambered Cairn (Neolithic)

Canmore ID 23399

Site Number NN00SW 1

NGR NN 0345 0395

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/23399

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Argyll And Bute
  • Parish Inveraray
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Argyll And Bute
  • Former County Argyll

Archaeology Notes

NN00SW 1 0345 0395.

(NN 0345 0397) Long Cairn (NR)

OS 1" map, (1962)

A long cairn placed along a narrow terrace high on the hillside orientated ENE to WSW, it is c.127' long c 40' across the E end and c 25' across the W end. It has not been extensively robbed and remains to a height of about 6' when viewed from the S, or lower, side, dropping slightly towards the W end; on the uphill side it is 2 or 3' high. However, the cairn has been considerably disturbed, both in and around the chamber, and along most of its spine, probably in looking for other chambers. It is partly turf-covered, the cairn material being angular blocks of stones, presumably derived from the crags above. The precise edges are difficult to define; along the lower S side the cairn material appears to have spread forward and towards the E end of the opposite side stony debris seems to have accumulated in the narrow space between the cairn and the hillside. The E end appears to be more or less straight, but a low spread of cairn material can be seen in front of the obvious edge, and at the NE and SE corners there are faint and uncertain indications of low horns. At the W end of the NE horn there can be seen several small flat slabs apparently set in a curve which look like partly exposed dry walling; the N edge of this supposed horn merges into the hillside rising beside it. The SE horn is even vaguer and an old track passes immediately beside it.

Three stones which seem to belong to a straight facade can be seen at the E end of the cairn. The southernmost protrudes 2 ft 6 in above the cairn material. At the chamber entrance is a pillar-shaped S portal stone standing 5 ft 6 in high but which must be really considerably taller. A stone over 3' high leaning acutely to the E appears to be the N portal stone.

The chamber is 17' long. The interior is filled with loose stones to varying levels and probably to a considerable depth, and septal stones may well exist though they cannot be seen at present.

Between the leaning N portal stone and the N side of the chamber lies a displaced slab 6'10" long, probably a capstone or part of a capstone.

At the W end of the cairn a flat slab 2'9" long, may be seen just protruding through the cairn material, and several other slabs lie about. It is possible that there may have been another chamber here. The considerable disturbance down the cairn has failed to disclose any lateral chambers.

A S Henshall 1972; M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964; E R Cregeen 1957.

A chambered cairn as described. Photos

Surveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (J P) 28 October 1971.

Activities

Field Visit (May 1982)

This cairn lies on a gently sloping terrace below the summit of Creag Mhor, 750m NNE of Auchindrain (Campbell and Sandeman 1964). It is 39m long and 11.5m wide at the ENE end, narrowing to 6.5m at the WSW end and standing up to 2m in height along its S side. The original outline of the cairn, which is constructed of angular blocks of stone, may be traced on the NNW, but has spread slightly on the downward side. It has been suggested (Henshall 1972) that there are slight indications that the ENE end of the cairn may have terminated in horns, but these are now too indefinite to plan.

All that survives of what was probably a straight facade are one fallen and two upright slabs; the most southerly stone is exposed to a height of 0.46m; the second, probably the S portal stone, to a height of 1.36m; and the third, probably the N portal stone, has now fallen outwards and is partly concealed by a dislodged capstone.

The chamber, which measures 5.2m in length, is partly filled with loose stones concealing the actual height of the visible side-slabs and possibly covering septal stones at a lower level. The alignment of the outer section of the chamber is similar to that of the cairn, but the long axis of the inner section lies approximately NE and SW. At its outer end, the chamber measures 1.3m in width, narrowing to 0.7m at a point 1.7m from its inner end, the walls are formed by a series of slabs exposed to a height of up to 1.32m. A pillar-like stone, 0.65m high and measuring 0.15m by 0.07m, which may have formed part of a division in the chamber, stands 2.6m from its inner end. A low, firmly set slab, lying transversely across the chamber 1.3m from its inner end, but visible only for a width of 0.7m, may be a septal slab. The back-slab is obscured by turf. The stones that oversail the N side-slabs of the chamber in up to two courses may be the remains of corbelling. About 1.5m from the WSW end of the cairn a firmly set upright slab measuring 0.9m by 0.15m is exposed to a height of 0.32m.

Visited May 1982

RCAHMS 1988

Measured Survey (6 May 1982)

RCAHMS surveyed Creag Mhor, Auchindrain chambered cairn on 06 May 1982 with plane-table and alidade producing a plan at a scale of 1:100. The plan of the cairn was redrawn in ink and published at a scale of 1:250 (RCAHMS 1988a, 46).

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