Angus HER - NO55SW0020 - BALDARDO

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNO55SW0020
NameBALDARDO
NRHE Card No.NO55SW20
NRHE Numlink 34912
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. NULL
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Incomplete
Details Remains of a cairn. Discovered in 1981 by Sherriff. It is bisected by a field boundary which runs across it east-west. The south side being regularly ploughed was featureless. The north was well preserved, circa 9-10 m in diameter, 0.5 m high, with a disturbed centre indicated by a hollow. A shallow ditch with a low bank, circa 3-4 m wide and 0.3 m high, outside it surround the cairn, with a total diameter of 15. Both cairn and bank are of water worn and angular debris. The bank is virtually unique in Angus, one of the Three Laws, to the north-west of Montrose, being the only other known (see NO66SE0002). Ploughing in February 1982 on the southern half of the cairn had disturbed the capstone of a short cist which was subsequently excavated. The contents of the cist were protected from the capstone by loose modern plough-soil and stones. The cist was oriented northeast-southwest, and consisted of four sandstone blocks and measured internally 1.25 m long x 0.72 m wide x 0.70 m deep. The north and south sides had stone which had been added to to make them the required height, the north slab in particular. All four sides had sandstone rubble packing. The floor of the cist was solid rock with an orange layer of soil 200mm thick containing 190g of the cremated remains of a young adult human, including part of a mandible, indicating an age of over 20 yds old. This soil was probably burnt topsoil. On the bottom of cist, exactly in the centre was an unburnt flint knife. This measures 71 mm long x 37 mm wide x 10 mm thick and was of mottled grey-black flint and showed signs of retouching. About 40g of cremated bone (unexamined) and several sherds of indeterminate pottery were found on the northern edge of the top of the pit, but ploughing has made identification of cist being inserted into cairn or cairn over cist impossible. The cist pit, roughly oval 2.5 m east-west x 2.3 m north-south had been carefully levelled and sealed at the top with clay which also covered three of the side slabs. The pottery was nine sherds of undecorated pottery. Three sherds form a larger piece. Most of the sherds are from a flat bottomed vessel with dished interior and sharp angle between the outer face and base. They are probably from a Beaker. A piece of chert and two flakes of flint were discovered in the disturbed cairn material east of the cist. The usage of the land was to change circa 1983, with the south side being turned to pasture and the northern pasture to arable. The northern side was to be avoided by the plough.
Last Update22/09/2022
Updated Bycpalmer
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NO55SW0020

National Grid Reference: NO 5057 5347



Event Details

Event DateEvent TypeOASIS ID
1981 Field Survey
1982 Excavation

Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Date MDate YArtefact TypeFinderRecovery MethodConditionStorage LocationAccess No.
21982 BEAKER SHERDS JS Excavation Unknown  
21982 FLINT KNIFE JS Excavation Unknown  

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
DITCHES REMAINS OFB100
BANKS REMAINS OFC100
CISTSSHORTSITE OFD100
BURIALSHUMAN E100
CREMATIONSHUMAN F100
BEAKERS  G80
POTTERY  H100
KNIVESFLINT I100
FLINTS  J100
FLAKESFLINT K100
FLAKESCHERT L100
CAIRNSROUNDREMAINS OFA100