Work on the Bronze Age burial cairn identified at Law Knowe, to the north of East Kilbride, is nearing completion. As previously reported, an evalution of the site was undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) which confirmed the presence of a Bronze Age cairn, probably kerbed, on the top of the knoll. Following on from this, a further phase of fieldwork was undertaken to characterise the extent and nature of the site. This involved the removal of topsoil from the remainder of the cairn, and revealed it to have a diameter of c. 9m. Cairn material was also found to be present running down slope of the knoll, and GUARD speculated that this could represent either another structural phase or element of the monument, the slump of cairn material down the slope, or dumps of robbed cairn material. Located to the south and south-east of the upper cairn was a series of funerary features comprising 13 urns deposited in pits, 9 pits associated with cremated human remains and possibly two cists. The potential for an earlier phase of activity at the site was also suggested by the recovery of a small assemblage of Beaker pottery. Following this stage of work, the site was recorded in plan and by photograph.
Thereafter, GUARD submitted a project design to the developer for the excavation of the funerary deposits prior to the creation of the green. However, the developer has decided instead to redesign the course to relocate the green, without excavating the burial features, and to re-cover the cairn with the aim of preserving it in situ. Preservation in situ is the preferred approach for dealing with archaeological material as set out in National Planning Policy Guideline 5, though WoSAS expressed some concerns as to whether it is the most appropriate approach in this instance, as without an ongoing monitoring programme, it is not certain that the burials will not degrade over time. The initial stage of this reburial has already taken place, with the site being covered by a geotextile membrane, gravel and topsoil. Over the next couple of weeks, the depth of topsoil overlying the cairn will be increased to a depth of around 1 metre, to ensure that the cairn is not disturbed. GUARD are also developing proposals to mark the site in some way, possibly by a ring of stones defining the extent of the buried cairn.