Cooper's Hill
Long Cairn (Neolithic)
Site Name Cooper's Hill
Classification Long Cairn (Neolithic)
Alternative Name(s) Pussyclops
Canmore ID 8822
Site Number ND26NW 2
NGR ND 2184 6537
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/8822
- Council Highland
- Parish Olrig
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Caithness
- Former County Caithness
ND26NW 2 2184 6537.
(ND 219 653) The remains of the long cairn on the top of Cooper's Hill are slight. There are few signs of stones and the site is now a low mound rising only 1 to 2ft above the field and covered with the same turf. The long axis lies NW-SE and the latter end is slightly higher. It measures about 220ft long but other measurements are now indefinite. A S Henshall 1963; RCAHMS 1911.
ND 2184 6537. The remains of this long cairn are as described above. A modern rubbing-stone has been erected at the SE end.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (RD) 16 February 1965.
(ND 2184 6537) Long Cairn (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1975)
This long cairn is as described above. The estimated width varies from 22.0m at the SE end to 17.0m at the NW end.
Visited by OS (RD) 16 February 1965
The cairn is in a field at 76m OD, almost on the top of the gentle rise of Cooper's Hill, and has magnificent views over the county and to Orkney.
The cairn was already greatly reduced by ploughing when seen in 1910 (RCAHMS supra) and ploughing has continued since then. The edges of the cairn are very difficult to define and the cairn has been much spread. Nevertheless it is still an obvious feature in the landscape, especially seen on the skyline when viewed from the W. The long axis slopes down slightly from SE to NW. The cairn is about 69m long. Each end of the cairn appears to be rounded, swelling to about 22m wide at the SE end and about 17m wide at the NW end, both ends rising to 1m high; the centre part is about 11 to 12m wide and 0.5m high. Due to the slope of the ground the SE end looks higher and a modern rubbing stone has been set up on the top. The monument appears to have consisted of two round mounds, the larger to the SE, linked by the lower parallel-sided central portion.
Visited 8 October 1988.
J L Davidson and A S Henshall 1991
Long cairn, 'Cooper's Hill'. Length: 72m. Horned long cairn incorporating at either end two round cairns, one of which measures 23m in diameter. orientation SE-NW.
R J Mercer, NMRS MS/828/19, 1995
