Two massive slabs form the roof of Barpa Langass, with a third slab laid on top of them, capping a stone burial mound on the Isle of North Uist that measures around 22 metres across and 5.5 metres high. Known in Gaelic as Barpa Langais, the mound is thought to be around 5,000 years old, placing its construction within the first farming age. Despite partial collapse over time, the entrance on the east side still allows access into one surviving chamber.
Two massive slabs form the roof of Barpa Langass, with a third slab laid on top of them, capping a stone burial mound on the Isle of North Uist that measures around 22 metres across and 5.5 metres high. Known in Gaelic as Barpa Langais, the mound is thought to be around 5,000 years old, placing its construction within the first farming age. Despite partial collapse over time, the entrance on the east side still allows access into one surviving chamber.
The cairn stands on Ben Langass above North Uist, reached either directly by footpath from the A867 around five miles southwest of Lochmaddy, or by a longer route that starts at the Langass Lodge Hotel and passes the Pobull Fhinn stone circle before climbing to the barp itself. Excavation carried out in or before 1911 by the antiquary Erskine Beveridge recovered burnt burials, patterned pottery, wood ash, burnt bone, a flint arrowhead, a scraper, and a piece of pierced talc from within and around the structure, evidence that points to its long use as a place of burial.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
The name
The monument's Gaelic name, Barpa Langais (pronounced [ˈpaɾpə ˈl̪ˠaŋkɪʃ]), is rendered in English as either Barpa Langass or Langass Barp.
History
Barpa Langass was raised on North Uist during the Neolithic period, around 3000 BCE, and is now reckoned to be around 5,000 years old. Its roof was built from two massive slabs with a third superimposed on top, an arrangement that has allowed part of the structure to survive intact despite the partial collapse of the wider cairn.
In or before 1911, the antiquary Erskine Beveridge excavated within and around the cairn. He recovered evidence of burnt burials together with pieces of pottery, some bearing patterned lines, wood ash, burnt bones, a flint arrowhead, a scraper, and a piece of pierced talc. Beveridge published his findings the same year in his book North Uist, and he believed that the cairn originally held a second, and perhaps a third, chamber beyond the one still accessible today.
The site was later recorded as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM892, and continued to feature in guidebooks to Scotland, including John Tomes's Blue Guide Scotland, published in 1980.
People
-
Erskine Beveridge
Antiquary who excavated within and around the cairn in or before 1911, recovering burnt burials, pottery, and other finds, and published his account in North Uist (1911).
Cultural influences
-
Neolithic chambered-cairn tradition
Barpa Langass belongs to the Neolithic burial tradition of chambered cairns, using massive roof slabs to create a communal tomb whose structure has survived partial collapse.
Connections
-
Pobull Fhinn stone circle
Lies on the footpath route to Barpa Langass from the Langass Lodge Hotel, on the way up Ben Langass.
-
Photo: Anne Burgess / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 A Bronze Age site on South Uist, cited alongside Barpa Langass as a related Hebridean prehistoric site.
Discovery & excavation
In or before 1911, Erskine Beveridge excavated within and near the cairn, finding evidence of burnt burials as well as pieces of patterned pottery, wood ash, burnt bones, a flint arrowhead, a scraper, and a piece of pierced talc. He believed a second, and perhaps a third, chamber existed beyond the one that remains enterable.
What to look for
-
The triple-slab roof
The roof is formed from two massive slabs with a third slab superimposed on top, still visible despite the cairn's partial collapse.
-
The east-facing entrance
The entrance on the east side of the cairn remains passable, allowing access into one surviving chamber.
-
The scale of the mound
The cairn measures around 22 metres in diameter and 5.5 metres in height.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.5705°N · 7.2915°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Easy going
- Time needed
- About 45 minutes
Nearby places
Sacred place · Prehistoric
Pobull Fhinn
Outer Hebrides
At least two dozen stones stand in an oval on the south side of Ben Langass on North Uist, eight of them on the northern arc and sixteen on the sou…
- Easy path
Fortified place · Iron Age
Dun an Sticir
Outer Hebrides
Three stone causeways lace across Loch an Sticir on North Uist, carrying a single line of dry ground from the B893 road to a broch (a tall circular…
- Some walking
Fortified place · Medieval
Borve Castle, Benbecula
Outer Hebrides
On the machair at the south-west tip of Benbecula, in the Western Isles, the ruined shell of a three-storey tower house stands with its north wall…
Tomb or burial place · Prehistoric
St Clement's Church, Rodel
Outer Hebrides
Three generations of MacLeod chiefs are buried in the walls of this building, in tombs they had prepared for themselves while alive. The church at…
- Near Rodel
- Easy path
Questions people ask
- How old is Barpa Langass?
- The chambered cairn is thought to be around 5,000 years old, dating it to the Neolithic period.
- Can visitors go inside Barpa Langass?
- Although the structure has partially collapsed, the entrance on the east side still allows access into one surviving chamber.
- What was found during excavation of the cairn?
- Erskine Beveridge's excavation in or before 1911 recovered evidence of burnt burials, patterned pottery, wood ash, burnt bones, a flint arrowhead, a scraper, and a piece of pierced talc.
- How is Barpa Langass reached?
- It can be reached via footpath from the A867 about five miles southwest of Lochmaddy, or by parking at the Langass Lodge Hotel and following the footpath past the Pobull Fhinn stone circle and up Ben Langass.
- What does the name Barpa Langass mean?
- The site is known in Scottish Gaelic as Barpa Langais, pronounced [ˈpaɾpə ˈl̪ˠaŋkɪʃ], which is anglicised as Barpa Langass or Langass Barp.
Sources
- Barpa Langass, Wikipedia
- Historic Environment Scotland, "Barpa Langass, chambered cairn, North Uist" (SM892)
- Beveridge, Erskine (1911), North Uist, William Brown & Co.
- Tomes, John (1980), Blue Guide Scotland (8th ed.), Ernest Benn Limited
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Outer Hebrides
The Ancient Codex, in your pocket
Get the Pocket Codex app
Carry the directory with you — Barpa Langass and thousands of ancient places across Britain and Ireland, offline, wherever you roam.