Monument record MAB21048 - BINGHILL STONE CIRCLE

Remains of a recumbent stone circle surrounding a ring cairn.

Remains of a recumbent stone circle surrounding a ring cairn. This recumbent stone circle is situated in beech woodland to the west of Binghill House. It probably dates from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BC. The stone circle is about 9.2 m in diameter, the scheduling description notes that only three stones, including the recumbent, remaining in situ. One on the north arc stands 1.3 m high, another on the north-northeast stands 1.1 m high and the recumbent (in the southwestern arc) is 2.2 m long and 1.1 m high. This is a small example, as recumbent stone circles are usually between 18.2 m and 24.4 m in diameter. Two flankers and two other stones on the east are prostrate and their original positions cannot be ascertained.

Coles in 1901 recorded another stone still standing. A site visit by RCAHMS in 2005 noted 8 stones. The first stones of the monument to be erected were probably the recumbent and flankers as they were the largest and most difficult to place.

The ring cairn is at least 6 m in diameter and encloses an area roughly 2.4 m in diameter. Several kerb-stones are visible on the west and south-east of the central court of the ring cairn.

COLES, FR, 1901, REPORT ON THE STONE CIRCLES OF THE NE OF SCOTLAND, INVERURIE DISTRICT PSAS 34(1899-1900) 139-98, pp187-8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB230.

Record last edited

Apr 8 2026 10:28AM