Cairns

There  are many cairns found all over the upland countryside.  Some are burial cairns, some are marker cairns and some are field clearance cairns, often, though not always, evidence of early agriculture. In a few places the remains of field systems may be seen and occasionally evidence of a hut circle in the vicinity may be found.  In some places groups of cairns are found, for example east and south-east of Carsphairn.  A few small cairns have been found to contain the remains of burials, though not always human as some have been found to contain the remains of sheep.

Kings Cairn (NS 554 011)

This is a large, circular, chambered cairn, with two chambers aligned north-west to south-east.  Unfortunately to top stones were robbed when Lamford road was repaired, exposing the chambers.  It was excavated in 1928, revealing the size of the chambers to be about 3m x 1m and built of upright slabs and large stones. The chambers were originally reached by passages built of flag stones in from the sides of the cairn.  A fairly modern dry stone dyke surrounds the cairn.

Stroanfreggan Cairn  (NX 640 914)

Stroanfreggan is another large circular cairn that has unfortunately been robbed for road repairs.  In 1910 roadmen found a cist within area of the cairn and dug out a substantial part of it, possibly looking for a fabled bullock’s hide filled with gold!  The small cist (roughly1m x1m) was made using four large slabs, the joints of which were filled with small stones and clay, some of which still had finger marks on it.  It was covered by a large stone slab.  All that was found inside was a  plano-convex flint knife.  Originally the cairn had been bordered by very large boulders, only three of which remain.  Roundabout in the soil bone fragments mixed with charcoal and four small chippings of flint have been found.  A fragment of bronze was also found in the cairn; it is thought that it may have been a razor.