Archaeology Notes

Event ID 725181

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/725181

NX55SW 1 51820 54045

(NX 5181 5403) Cairn Holy (NR)

OS 6" map (1957)

For chambered cairn (Piggott and Powell Cairnholy I and Henshall KRK 2) situated downhill and to the S, at NX 51760 53890, see NX55SW 2.

Location formerly entered as NX 5181 5403.

(Piggott and Powell Cairnholy II). This Clyde-type chambered cairn, the one from which the farm takes its name, is traditionally the tomb of Caldus, the mythical Scottish King. Its outline is roughly oblong, measuring 70' x 40' and it is nowhere more than 2' high. The dunuded bipartite chamber is at the NE end of the cairn, measuring 18' long, including a pair of portal stones, there was also a very shallow v-shaped forecourt.

Excavated by Piggott and Powell, the rear chamber had been previously robbed, and the other disturbed, but a leaf-shaped arrowhead and a flint knife of Arran-type came from the filling, along with secondary sherds of Beaker pottery, the finds are now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS Accession nos. EO 831-842). Under guardianship.

S Piggott and T G E Powell 1951; J G Scott 1969; A S Henshall 1972, no. KRK 3.

As described and planned.

Resurveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (RD) 23 March 1972.

NX 5183 5403 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in November 2004 during the excavation of a very shallow (50mm) trench for the concrete base of a new information board, c 10m SE of the northernmost of the two chambered cairns at Cairnholy (NX55SW 1). No finds or features of archaeological significance were found.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: HS.

S Coulter 2005