<< Text Pages >> Dwarf's Tomb (Alva) - Burial Chamber or Dolmen in Scotland in Clackmannanshire
Submitted by Anne T on Wednesday, 06 September 2017 Page Views: 1971
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Dwarf's Tomb (Alva)Country: Scotland County: Clackmannanshire Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Nearest Town: Alva
Map Ref: NS88489754
Latitude: 56.157450N Longitude: 3.797053W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Burial Chamber (Dolmen) in Clackmannanshire
The tomb is recorded as Canmore ID 47076 which tells us the flexed skeleton of a dwarf which had been buried in natural cavity in the rock was discovered in 1913 whilst quarrying at the mouth of Alva Glen. They add: "The body had been placed in a cavity or rock shelter in the face of the cliff, about 40ft from the base and about 200ft above sea-level, and a rough, curved wall of dry-stone building, about 1ft thick, had been built across the opening, which faced east."
The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) also features a page for this curious site - see their entry for Dwarf’s Tomb, Alva, Clackmannanshire, which gives directions for finding the tomb, together with photographs and a brief archaeology & history and local folklore which says the place is haunted by the spirit of a dangerous witch!
TNA add a note saying: "The exact spot of the tomb appears to have been destroyed, or at the very least is certainly covered over and no longer visible. The section of the quarry looking east, into which the tomb was built, is all-but gone and no initial evidence prevails to show its exact location. However, it would seem from the description to have been close to the tops of the tree-line, perhaps giving a clear view to the rising sun in the east. Perhaps…
The position of this tomb, enclosed high up in the cliffs, hidden away at the entrance to the deeply cut ravine of the Alva Glen, is intriguing in that it is a rarity."
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