Description

This monument comprises a very well-preserved chambered long cairn of the Clyde type, dating to the neolithic period, some 4500 to 5500 years ago. It is situated on a narrow terrace below the summit of Torr an Loisgte, within a forestry plantation.

This monument is oriented N-S, with the tail of the cairn to the north, and the wider, facade end to the south. It measures a maximum of 25m N-S, with a maximum width of 10m at the southern end. The facade can clearly be traced at the southern end, and is of the post-and-panel type, consisting of short sections of drystone walling between larger upright stones.

A chamber leading off the facade, slightly east of centre, is visible, and a second chamber can be seen approximately half-way along the western long side. There are traces of a possible third chamber towards the end of the cairn on the western side, but this is unclear, and the hollow in the body of the cairn could be due to later stone-robbing to build the two modern stells to the west and south of the cairn.

The area to be scheduled is a rectangle 50m N-S by 40m E-W, to include the chambered long cairn and an area around in which traces of activities associated with its construction and use may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because it is a very well-preserved example of a distinctive type of early prehistoric burial cairn, which has the potential to increase considerably our understanding of prehistoric ritual and funerary practices, and also of the past environment, as the cairn material will have helped to preserve the prehistoric ground surface buried beneath it. Close by are the remains of two other chambered cairns (Gaints' Graves, SAM 398), one of which is very similar to and on the same N-S alignment as Torran Loisgte.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NS 02 SW 15.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland