West Brachmont

NO89NW 22 8148 9507.

An oval mound, with a U-shaped setting of stones at its centre, is situated on the E side of a shallow stream-gully 350m NE of West Brachmont farmhouse. The mound measures 11m from NNW to SSE by 6.5m transversely and 0.5m in height; the U-shaped setting, which comprises seven slabs (up to 0.95m by 0.2m and at least 0.5m high) is open to the SW and measures at least 2.5m in length by 2.2m in breadth. The date and purpose of this structure is unknown.

RCAHMS 1984, visited April 1984.

NO 814 950 Three trenches were opened by Alba Archaeology Ltd over the scheduled mound (NMRS NO89NW 22) to assess rabbit damage and attempt to characterise the monument which has been identified as being either a ring cairn, a burnt mound or a corn-drying kiln. The monument was found to be irregular in shape, consisting of a low mound of small rounded and sub-rounded stones in a peaty soil matrix, probably deriving from material excavated to create the chamber space and enhanced with local surface scraping. The lack of burnt stones in the mound and the lack of signs of burning within or near the chamber indicate that the monument is neither burnt mound nor corn-drying kiln. Rabbits have disturbed most of the upper material within, and much of the material around the chamber. The trenches were not fully excavated.

The NE-SW chamber, 2.6 x 2.3m, consists for the most part of large edged stones. On the SW side the edged stones are replaced by a low rough wall. The NW-SE aligned mound measures c 11 x 8m.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland.

J S Rideout 1997.