Benachie
Cairn (Prehistoric)
Site Name Benachie
Classification Cairn (Prehistoric)
Alternative Name(s) Cairn B; West; Achanarras
Canmore ID 376930
Site Number ND15NW 17.01
NGR ND 14463 55752
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/376930
- Council Highland
- Parish Halkirk
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
ND15NW 17 1453 5575 and 1446 5575
(A: ND 1453 5575; B: ND 1446 5575) Cairns (NR)
OS 6" map, (1970)
A: Stone Circle. A stony mound 60ft in diameter and up to 2ft high, with a central depression, is surrounded by five blocks of stone, aligned along the perimeter and all prostrate. They are 6ft long, 2 3/4 to 4 1/2ft broad, and 1ft thick (The RCAHMS [1911] locate this monument to the N end of Achanarras Hill, a little more tham 1/2 mile NW of Achanarras farm; Feachem, however, obviously describing the same thing, which he identifies as a cairn, places it at ND 145 552 - the position to The Shean, ND15NW 14.)
B: Cairn. Situated 40 yds W of 'A' is a low mound with indefinite limits but apparently measuring 56ft N-S by 43ft transversely.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1910; R W Feachem 1963
A: This cairn, surrounded by five prostrate stones, as described by the RCAHMS, is situated at ND 1453 5575 at the foot of Achanarras Hill in marshy open moorland. It now measures only 10.0m in diameter and 0.5m in height.
B, a probable cairn, at ND 1446 5575, in a similar topographic position to and 75m W of 'A', is as described by the RCAHMS. It survives to a height of 1.0m.
Visited by OS (N K B) 11 November 1965
Burl, obviously without visiting the site, since he repeats Feachem's mis-siting, classifies 'A' as a stone circle.
H A W Burl 1976
These two cairns are as described by the previous field investigator.
Revised at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (J B) 15 February 1982
Cairn and stone circle, Benachie. Grass-covered mound 10m in diameter and 0.5m high lying within a circle of five prostrate stones 17m in diameter.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995.
Antiquarian Observation (1850 - 1901)
Drawings by Christian MacLagan of sites across Scotland in the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Collection at HES.
