Site Report

WoSASPIN 7578

(Centred NS 472 527) Dorrian notes a number of features on Moyne Moor within the area defined by the 800ft contour. They are: (a) a walled settlement; (b) a cist; (c) an alignment of three largish stones, pointing to the cairn on Lochend Hill (NS45SE 2); and (d) a circle of small cairns. No further details are given.
Information from G M Dorrian, 20 Cheviot Avenue, Barrhead, letter of 22 July 1977.

NS 4729 5275 Situated at the NE end of a raised oval area in the centre of the Moyne Moor just above the 245m contour line. The remains of the cist are composed of two earthfast, upright stones in situ and several others lying in close proximity. The side stones measure 1m to 1.5m in length. A large flat stone (?capstone) lies nearby to the SE and adjacent to the side stones.
Sponsor: Renfrewshire Local History Forum, Archaeology Group
B Henry 1993; B Henry et al. 1994.

Survey report (1994) by Renfrewshire Local History Forum in SMR archive.
Entered WoSAS (CF) 25/01/2000

The Cist is situated at the north east end of an area of slightly higher ground in the centre of the" Moyne Moor, just above the 245 m contour line. It was first reported in 1977 by letter from Mr George Dorrian of Barrhead to NMRS. The area of higher ground is approximately oval in shape and consists of a patch of rough grazing measuring 25 m x 17 m. It rises about 1 m to 1.5 m above the surrounding very wet bog.

The remains of the Cist are composed of two upright stones in situ and several others lying in close proximity. The sides of the box consist of an upright stone (1) measuring 1.5 m in length and standing 0.5 m above present ground level. One face of this stone is embedded into the slope to slightly higher ground. The other, exposed, face is flat.

Stone (2) lies parallel to the exposed face of (1) , at a distance of about 0.7 m. It measures 0.9 m by 0.5 m and also stands to a height of 0.5 m. face internal to Cist is also flat. of these stones are earthfast.

A large flat stone (3) lies on the ground surface to the southeast of and adjacent to stone (1). Its northwest end is heavily moss covered, making it difficult to ascertain its shape at that end but the other end was relatively squared. Its size of 1.5 m by 0.6 m indicates it could possibly be the capstone to the side stones (1) and (2) of the box like cist. A number of other stones, some completely grass covered, lie around the vicinity. These could have formed the ends of the box.

There was no evidence either at the time of the surveyor George Dorrian's letter of any artifactual or bone deposit in the cist. Nor is there any evidence of a cairn having covered it.
Henry, B., Renfrewshire Local History Forum Occasional Paper No. 2, (1994)


Of the features described by Dorrian in 1977, only the cist, which is aligned NW and SE and is as described by Henry (1994), actually exists. The alleged walled settlement, the alignment of three largish stones and the circle of small cairns are probably all natural features that have been misinterpreted.
Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH) 21 June 2007.