Stones of Scotland - Nether Largie cairns

Nether Largie

Cairns
Argyll, Strathclyde
Nearest town: Lochgilphead Nearest village: Kilmartin Map references: NR 831985 (Nether Largie North) NR 831984 (Nether Largie Mid) NR 828979 (Nether Largie South)

Nether Largie South, one of three lined cairns in Kilmartin Valley

(100Kb)

In Kilmartin Valley in Argyll, is a line of cairns including a chambered round cairn and two cairns covering cists. They are known as Nether Largie North, Mid and South and are part of a large complex of standing stones, tombs, and carved stones. On the SW lies the Temple Wood stone circle, and about 1.5 km (1 mile) S of the three Nether Largie is the Ri Cruin cairn.
    Many speculate that the cairns may have contained successive burials of a ruling family or a series of chieftains. The oldest burial site is the chambered round cairn Nether Largie South, dating from the Neolithic and built on the valley floor, near the centre of the line of tombs. This cairn has a diameter of over 40 m (130 ft) with an oblong (6 x 1.2 m/20 x 14 ft) central chamber constructed of schist slabs and drystone walling, entered from the north. In the edge of the cairn are two stone cists (one visible), probably inserted later in the Early Bronze Age.
    The Nether Largie Mid cairn dates from the Early Bronze Age; two stone cists are visible, and originally the cairn was 3 m (10 ft) high. Since then, many stones have been carted away from this 30 m (100 ft) wide cairn -as with the other cairns in this cemetery- for road-mending and other purposes.
    Nether Largie North covers a burial chamber which can be entered from the top. Inside is a stone burial cist whose capstone bears cup marks and carvings of axe heads. On the E and SE are several standing stones, though not all readily accessible.

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