Gourlaw
Overview
Gourlaw is recorded as Cairn (bronze Age), Plaque (bone)(bronze Age), Cinerary Urn(s) (bronze Age), Whetstone (bronze Age) in Scotland Midlothian. The record fixes the place and type while keeping unknown makers, use, finds and survival open. Its saved wording adds: Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Gourlaw as Cairn (bronze Age), Plaque (bone)(bronze Age), Cinerary Urn(s) (bronze Age), Whetstone (bronze Age). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Who made it and when
The saved record identifies Gourlaw as Cairn (bronze Age), Plaque (bone)(bronze Age), Cinerary Urn(s) (bronze Age), Whetstone (bronze Age). It does not safely name its makers or a precise construction date.
How it was made and used
Its classification points to burial or commemoration. The saved wording does not establish the full building method, ceremonies or length of use, so those details remain open.
What was found
No safe list of excavated objects, bones, carvings or dates is supplied by the short saved record. Finds are not invented from the place type or local name.
What remains
The public record still maps Gourlaw as Cairn (bronze Age), Plaque (bone)(bronze Age), Cinerary Urn(s) (bronze Age), Whetstone (bronze Age). The point may mark standing remains, earthworks, a buried site or the centre of a wider area, and this first account keeps that difference visible.
Why it mattered
The place preserves physical evidence or local memory connected with cairn (bronze age), plaque (bone)(bronze age), cinerary urn(s) (bronze age), whetstone (bronze age). Its source and exact position give later research a firm starting point without turning uncertain tradition into fact.
History checked 15 August 2026 against the named sources below.
An ancient-place record does not grant access or permission to dig, move stones or disturb remains. Check current paths, ownership and protection before visiting.