Between approximately 2500 and 4500 years ago, during a period archaeologists call the Bronze Age, people built this round cairn for the burial of their dead. At some time in the medieval or post-medieval period, a shepherd's bothy has been constructed within the cairn itself. The bothy does not seem to have disturbed any burials, and archaeologists think the central burial within the cairn may still be intact. Midfell round cairn is a scheduled monument, protected by law.