Walston
Cremation Cemetery (Prehistoric)(Possible), Ring Enclosure (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Walston
Classification Cremation Cemetery (Prehistoric)(Possible), Ring Enclosure (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 198902
Site Number NT04NE 77
NGR NT 0648 4580
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/198902
- Council South Lanarkshire
- Parish Walston
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Clydesdale
- Former County Lanarkshire
NT04NE 77 0648 4580
A survey of Black Mount Hill was carried out as part of the Biggar Museum 'Pre-History North of Biggar Project'.
NT 0648 4580 Ring enclosure enclosing cairn, ?enclosed cremation cemetery.
Each of the above sites has a direct line of sight to the massive cairn on the summit of Tinto Hill to the S. Midwinter sunset was observed to take place immediately behind the cairn, as viewed from each site.
Full report lodged with NMRS.
Sponsor: Biggar Museum Trust
T Ward 1999
Field Visit (1998)
Lying 1.5km W of the summit of Black Mount and on the western flank of the same hill, on a slightly elevated knoll where the ground immediately drops down to the Winter Burn on the NE, there is a ring enclosure. The site lies at 300m OD.
The site principally consists of a double bank of stone but which has been modified on the SW side. The alteration to the original circular enclosure has extended the size of the site and now appears as an entrance.
By reference to the plan (originally surveyed at 1: 100) it can be seen that the original enclosure/s may have measured 20m in overall diameter, while the internal bank may have been 16m in overall diameter. Each of the two banks consist of angular stone up to 0.25m, none of the exposed stone being earth fast and there is no indication of a wall face or kerb. The banks are no higher than about 0.3m when measured from the interior which is featureless apart from a slight hummock (A) within the southern side of the enclosure. Each of the banks vary in width from 1m to 2m, although the widest part of the exterior bank is probably due to subsidence of the sloping ground on the W side.
The apparent alterations which are now seen as a gap on the southern side appear to respect the principal of the original double bank, being extended outwards by up to 5m, running parallel with what may have been the original line of the enclosure and then curving inwards again to form an entrance.
The grass covered site is surrounded by heather, making it distinctive, especially when view from the higher slopes to the NE.
On the 20th December 1998, from this site, the sun was observed to set exactly on the summit of Tinto Hill and behind the prominent cairn which lies there. The sunset began at 15.21 and was complete at 15.27 GMT. Tinto hill is 16 km to the SW and the cairn is at 707m OD.
The event makes a convincing mid winter solstice sunset alignment, and implies that the enclosure may have been deliberately sited to facilitate observation of this event.
Tam Ward, Biggar Archaeology Group, 1999
