Cairn - wayside cairn

A mound constructed primarily of stone erected by the side of a road or thoroughfare. They may be the result of folk practices where it was traditional for people in a funeral procession to place a stone on the cairn in memory of the deceased. They probably date from the 17th to the 20th century AD. The term cairn is derived from the Irish word 'carn' meaning a heap or pile of stones. See also Cairn - unclassified, Burial cairn, Cairn circle, Radial-stone cairn, Ring-cairn, Clearance cairn, Cairnfield and Boundary cairn.