Bute, Michael's Grave

Michael's Grave (Henshall 1972; Scott 1969; Bryce 1904) Little remains of this Clyde- type chambered cairn, and its edge is now defined by the limit of ploughing; in 1962 it was 26' across and 3'-5' high against the chamber. The outside of the S side of the chamber is exposed; the chamber itself is full of debris, and due to the slope of the site, silting has covered all but the tops of the two eastmost slabs of the N side. Excavation in 1903 revealed the chamber, oriented along the contour to face ESE. It measured 10'6" by 2'6", divided into two equal compartments by a septal stone. The floor of each compartment was covered by a layer of black earth with charcoal. Items from the chamber, now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland [NMAS], are an undecorated pottery sherd and a lump of pitchstone (Accession no EO 301). Other sherds, a flint flake, fragments of burnt human bones, a tooth of a pig and ox bones, also found at the same time and place, are now lost.

T H Bryce 1904; J G Scott 1969; A S Henshall 1972.

A chambered cairn as described in the previous information and measuring 13.0m ESE by 4.0m transversely. Lying to the S of the chamber is a probable capstone measuring 2.1m by 1.4m by 0.2m thick. The name St Michael's Grave was confirmed locally.

Surveyed at 1:10 000.

Visited by OS (B S) 29 October 1976.

This chambered cairn is situated on the leading edge of a S-facing terrace in a field of pasture about 500m S of Kilmichael farmsteading. The cairn has been severely reduced by robbing and ploughing and now measures 10.5m from E to W by 7.2m transversely and no more than 1m in height. The burial chamber, which was shown by excavation to contain two compartments, measures 4.9m from E to W by 0.8m overall and up to 1.3m in height on the S. Its interior is now choked with rubble, and a displaced capping stone, measuring 1.4m by 2m and at least 0.2m in thickness, lies immediately to the S.

Visited by RCAHMS (GFG, PM) 19 May 2009.