cup marked stones

Ardoch (2), Fowlis Wester, Perthshire

22/08/202409/09/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 91123 25978

Also Known as:

Buchanty Hill
Constellation Stone
Footprint Stone

Ardoch (2) carving, with Milquhanzie hillfort behind

We took the long route to get here, via Fowlis Wester village, up to the car-park near the standing stones, then walk for 1¾ miles along the track: past the stones, veering right to go downhill then uphill, past the Ardoch (1) petroglyph and bearing right at the next split in the track, then right again at the next split. Then, crossing a small burn and curving round the next bend, keep your eyes peeled for the track-cum-footpath that reaches uphill on your right (NE). A shorter route is via the Foulford golf course (found along the A822 roughly halfway between Gilmerton and the entrance to the Sma’ Glen): take the track from there, eastwards into the hills, and literally ¾-mile along you reach the pylon; keep walking along the track for another 200 yards and on your left watch out for the same track-cum-footpath. Walk up there for about 400 yards and, 35 yards to the right of the fence, you’ll see a large flat stone.

Archaeology & History

This is a most curious design, sitting way up near the top of this unnamed hill on its western face. It’s curious as there are number of odd elongated cup-marks which, to me at least, should be described as footprints. We find such designs on a few carvings (such as the one at Dunadd, and St. Columba’s Stone, etc), but they’re pretty rare. The best can be found on the Cochno Stone a few miles north of Glasgow, with additional toes on the design… but that’s for another site profile – and an essay, perhaps, should I ever get round to writing it! Anyhow…

It was first described, albeit briefly, by a Mr Comrie in 1972, who told us that,

“On a south-west facing slope of Buchanty Hill at 950ft is a boulder measuring 1.60m x 1.40m with 22 cups and 11 dumb-bells, 6 of which are distorted by a fault of quartz in the stone.”

But his description of what he saw as eleven “dumb-bells” is somewhat extravagant. Six, perhaps seven would seem the more probable. I was hoping to find that the Scottish Rock Art Project doods might have spent some of their million quid in doing a computer enhancement of this carving in order to confirm it one way or the other, but this was one of hundreds that they never looked at. Very poor… (and they only described two so-called dumb-bells here!) The only other mention I’ve found of the place is in Finlayson’s (2010) fine survey of local megaliths, but only in passing.

The dumb-bells or “footprints” on this carving are small: fairy footprints, one might say. The main ones are seen near the middle of the stone on its flat smooth surface. Another—perhaps two—occur along a curious geological cut that runs in a straight line, north-south (roughly) over the rock. This curious line has a series of deeply cut elements, mainly cup-marks, which give the impression of being enhanced or worked upon in much more recent centuries, looking almost as if they possessed some utilitarian function. They’re most odd and are certainly much younger than the very worn cup-marks that are scattered across the stone in no particular order. One of them seems to have a very faint ring around it. You can just make it out in one of the photos.

So we’re looking at a multi-period carving done (probably) over several centuries. Some of the cup-marks are barely visible unless the light is just right. On my first visit here, the day was grey and overcast and some elements of the design were all but invisible; but on my second visit, one a beautiful evening, then wetting the rock, it shone out in all its splendour…. Well – as good as could be expected considering it may be five thousand years old! But the footprints are the stand-out features of the design.

In a lengthy essay on this motif that’s found on numerous European petroglyphs, Miroslav Verner (1973) points out several traditional and theoretical meanings ascribed to the symbol, which may be relevant to the stone here. The footprints may mark the rock as a pilgrimage site; or a representation of the location of a theophany, or genius loci. In some places it can be a signature of the so-called artist; or a symbol of victory; and even a symbol which possesses the power to cure fevers and other ailments. This latter tradition was known to have been practiced at the mightily impressive Blarnaboard (3) carving near Aberfoyle.

Another important feature of this carving its position in the landscape: more than a thousand feet above sea level, you sit here and the vista ahead of you reaches far far away into the distance from east to south to west. The skies above and around it are open and seemingly endless from here. It’s impressive and, most likely, these attributes are mythically significant to its meaning. Have a look at the place: take a day out and sit here for a while and get your own impression of the place. You’ll like it…

References:

Comrie, J.E.M., “Fowlis Wester parish: Cup-marked Stone”, in Discovery & Excavation Scotand, 1972.
Finlayson, Andrew, The Stones of Strathearn, One Tree Island: Comrie 2010.
Verner, Miroslav, Some Nubian Petroglyphs on Czechoslovak Concessions, Universita Karlova: Praha 1973.

Ardoch (1), Fowlis Wester, Perthshire

21/08/202422/08/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 91195 25511

Getting Here

From Fowlis Wester village, head up the road for just over ½ a mile (veering sharp left at a junction) to the dusty car-park on the left-side of the road near the standing stones. From here walk along the track, past the standing stones, veering right to go downhill and cross the burn by the loch near the ruins of Ardoch house; then keeping uphill on the track for another half-mile or so and, just before a split in the dirt-track, you’ll see a reasonably large rounded boulder just a few yards above the track on your right. Y’ can’t really miss it!

Archaeology & History

This previously unrecorded cup-and-ring carving was rediscovered a few years ago by local lady Fiona McLaren: an absolute fount of knowledge when it comes to ancient sites in this area. It’s a pretty basic carving but is certainly worth looking at on your way up to see the much more unusual petroglyph of Ardoch (2).

When we visited this stone for the first time recently, the design was difficult to make out due to the grey overcast skies. The first thing you’ll notice is the single cup-marking on the left-side (west) of a natural crack near the top of the rock. It’s pretty easy to make out. But the cup-and-ring immediately left of this is much harder to see—or at least is was when we came here! But spend a bit of time with it, adjusting your sight, wetting the stone and, slowly but surely, you’ll notice the shallow ring surrounding another smaller cup-mark. You can make it out in the photo. A possible smaller cup-mark on the sloping northern face seems more likely to have Nature’s signature on it.

Acknowledgements: Huge thanks to Fiona McLaren of Abercairney for first uncovering this carving and pointing us towards it.

Connachan (7), Crieff, Perthshire

27/07/202427/07/2024 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 8806 2746

Getting Here

You’re going from Crieff, up the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. And if you’re visiting this stone, you’ve already walked past the carvings of Connachan (2), (4), (5) and (6). So just another 100 yards or so up the dirt-track past Connachan (4), (5) and (6), just where there’s a bend in the track, the land just about levels out (if you’ve reached the gate and fence you’ve gone too far). At this point walk onto the grassland on your right for barely 50 yards, just where the land sweeps back downhill. Look around for a small stone at the edge of some very low indistinct walling. You’ll find it!

Archaeology & History

A site that’s shown on the modern OS-map as a “cairn” but which is, by the look of things, actually a hut circle — and a somewhat indistinct hut circle at that! You could very easily walk right through it without even noticing you’d done so. However, the cup-marked stone on the outer edge of its southern wall does grab your attention! Once you’ve found the stone, if you pace round a few times you’ll begin to see the vague outline of this prehistoric, probably Bronze Age abode.

The carving was probably placed here after the hut circle had been built; or perhaps even built deliberately upon the petroglyph itself—but only an excavation would give us the answer. Its incorporation in the hut circle was probably functional, somewhat like the Man Stone carving in North Yorkshire, which is found at the doorway there. But this site is in such a state of neglect (and is somewhat overgrown) that I couldn’t ascertain whether it was at the entrance or not. If it was, then most likely there was a mythic relationship between the design of the cups and the person who lived therein. This relationship was probably a long standing traditional one attached to a particular family, or tribal leader, or even a shaman figure which no doubt stretched over many centuries. (as seems likely with the aforementioned Man Stone)

The carving itself is somewhat basic, as you can see, comprising of a small irregular cluster of between 18 and 20 tightly packed cups on a small stone. The hut circle is about 14 yards across. About 100 yards to the east is a severely robbed-out cairn.

References:

Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.

Connachan, Crieff, Perthshire

24/06/202426/06/2024 megalithix

Cairn: OS Grid Reference – NN 88098 27498

Getting Here

A couple of miles east of Crieff, take the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. After literally 1¾ miles (2.8km), on the right-side of the road, you can park-up right opposite the dirt-track that leads up to Connachan Farm a half-mile away. Walking up and then past the farm, go past the Connachan (2) petroglyph, keeping on the same track uphill and just past the (Connachan 4) carving the land levels out where the track curves. From here, walk to your right, into the grasses, and about 90 yards along you’ll see a small rise in the ground with two or three fallen stones in the middle.

Archaeology & History

There’s nothing truly notable about this much-overgrown cairn and you could very easily walk past it without noticing it was even there! Much of its original mass has been removed and, no doubt, its stones reused in the old walling a few yards to the north (a long section of that walling appears to have a prehistoric provenance). It measures roughly 10 yards across and its outer edges are clearly visible as a raised grass-covered mound all round, just one or two feet high at the most. Obviously it was much larger when first built, but all that we see now are its final ruins, four or five thousand years after its birth… The one thing of great note here is the view: you’re looking from east to south to west across an awesome landscape for many many miles. Check it out!

References:

Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.

Barry Hill, Alyth, Perthshire

23/06/202423/06/2024 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NO 262 503

Archaeology & History

In an excursion to the Iron Age Hillfort on Barry Hill in the early 1960s by some members of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, near the very top on its southwestern side they discovered “a small cup marked stone.” (Longworth 1962) It hasn’t been seen since. And whether it was in the walling of the fort, or was a carved earthfast rock, they neglected to tell. When I visited here several years ago I couldn’t find the damn thing and presume that it’s simply been overgrown by the vegetation. In the event that you manage to rediscover the carving, see if you can catch us a good photo or two and stick ’em on our Facebook group.

References:

Longworth, Ian, “Dundee, Angus,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1962.

Connachan (4), Crieff, Perthshire

20/06/202423/06/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 88028 27394

Getting Here

A couple of miles east of Crieff, take the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. After literally 1¾ miles (2.8km), on the right-side of the road, you can park-up right opposite the dirt-track that leads up to Connachan Farm a half-mile away. Keep walking up past the farm to the Connachan (2) petroglyph, and keep to the track uphill for another 600 yards keeping your eyes peeled for a notable singular rock on your left, about 10 yards into the heather. It’s pretty easy to see. If the track’s levelled out, you’ve gone too far!

Archaeology & History

Perhaps the most attractive of the Connachan petroglyphs is this curvaceous stone with its archetypal double-ringed motif. It seems to have been described firstly by Margaret Stewart (1967), whose description (to me at least) doesn’t quite do it justice; but then, they are somewhat troublesome abstract creations most of the time. She told it to it be,

“a boulder 4’10” x 3’10 x 2′ in height with 6 cups and a grooved circle, which incorporates two more cup marks on its outline. The grooved circle encloses a gapped circle with another cup mark at its centre.”

So, nine cups in all: one with the double-ring around it, and two of the cups touching the outer ring. The cup-marks are ostensibly as Stewart described them, but there are another two or three which I was unable to capture in the photos, as the daylight wasn’t good when we came here. They’re shallow but very distinct when you see and feel them in the flesh, so to speak, and are closer to the top- and bottom-centre of the stone in the photos here. Well worth checking out if you’re in the area!

References:

Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.

Acknowledgements: Huge thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Connachan (2), Crieff, Perthshire

19/06/202420/06/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 88421 27057

Getting Here

A couple of miles east of Crieff, take the A822 road from the Gilmerton junction and head up towards the Sma’ Glen. After literally 1¾ miles (2.8km), on the right-side of the road, you can park-up right opposite the dirt-track that leads up to Connachan Farm a half-mile away. Keep walking up the track, past the farm and the cottages, and about 300 yards further along, right by the track-side, you’ll see a large stone. Y’ can’t really miss it!

Archaeology & History

This carving was seemingly rediscovered by J.H. Maxwell of Crieff in the 1960s, but not in the position it presently occupies by the trackside. A large body of field clearance rocks lies scattered 60 yards to the west, which is where it was reportedly first seen; which means that, even then, it wasn’t in its original spot. But at least we can be assured that it came from somewhere very close to its present location, by the trackside.

It’s not overly impressive in terms of its design, comprising almost entirely of cup-markings: at least thirty, perhaps as many as thirty-four. When we visited here recently, Nature wasn’t overly concerned about giving us decent daylight, so we couldn’t see the carving clearly, but it did seem that a carved broken “ring” swerves around at least one of the cups near the middle of the stone. You can make it out in the photos here (centre-left). There are what seems to be several other carved lines on different parts of the stone but, again, without decent daylight, we could neither get decent photos, nor do a decent sketch of them. The Scottish Rock Art Project, who got themselves nigh on a million quid to survey all our carvings up here, neither sketched, photographed or visited this or the others in this Connachan petroglyph cluster, so we’re none the wiser as to its original form. If you happen to visit this carving when the daylight is being nice, see if you can catch us a good photo or two and stick ’em on our Facebook group.

References:

Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Connachan, Crieff – Cup Marks and Hut Circle,” in Discovery & Excavation, Scotland, 1967.

Glendevon Farm, Aberdalgie, Perth, Perthshire

17/06/202417/06/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NO 07263 23575

Also Known as:

Hill of Ruthven (Coles 1903)
West Lamberkine (3)

Getting Here

Go west out of Perth city centre, along Longcauseway which runs straight into Jeanfield Road, then (keep your eyes peeled) turn left and go along Burghmuir Road to the end where, at the roundabout, go straight across. 100 yards along, a dead straight path starts on the left-side of the road. Walk 400 yards along here, cross the road, keep straight on the path (called Old Gallows Road) into the trees and a half-mile on you reach a large pylon on your right; but walk to your immediate left here and after 25 yards go through the gate on your left. In this field, 100 yards to the south you’ll see a tree inside a large low stone enclosure. You need to find the stone that’s the most northerly one in this enclosure walling.

Archaeology & History

It’s debatable as to whether or not this carving is in its original position as it’s located within the outer walling of an enclosure, deemed by Fred Coles (1903) to have been a large garden, yet which has all the hallmarks of being much earlier structure, possibly even Iron Age. Either way, the cup-and-ring that we see today on the northernmost edge of this old walling, would seem to have been moved into the position it presently occupies.

There’s another oddity about it too, as one (or more) of the cup-markings have been incised and worked upon in much more recent centuries, as evidenced by a small thin almost pencil-like cut into the centre of one of them, perhaps with the intention of smashing the stone to pieces. A geologist or stonemason could perhaps look at this and let us know what they think. Thankfully the stone and the carved design remains intact!

It was described by the great Fred Coles (1903) in a summary essay of numerous antiquities both here and further afield. He told us:

Coles (1903) sketch

Close-up of the design

“The cup-and ring-marked stone here was first brought to my notice by Mr David Smith in the summer of 1900. He then reported that the stone appeared to be one of a large number forming a rough circle in a plantation on the west of this farm. On reaching the house, I was fortunate in meeting Mr Douglas the tenant, who at once conducted me to the westmost field and showed me the stone. It is a squarish and not very thick block of ‘bastard whinstone,’ uneven, weathered, and moss-grown. It measures 2 feet 10 inches by 2 feet 8 inches. As far as examination in the gloom of the clump of trees allowed, I believe I am correct in recording…the seven single cups and the two surrounded by rings as all the definitely artificial marks now visible on this stone. The stone at present lies prone upon the curved alignment of many stones which have been set on edge, enclosing an area roughly oval, and measuring in round numbers about 210 feet nearly east and west by 90 or 100 feet north and south.”

There are in fact a few more cups with rings than what Coles described, but they’re difficult to make out. At least five have rings, possibly six of them. If you happen to visit this carving when the daylight is being nice, see if you can catch us a good photo or two and stick ’em on our Facebook group.

References:

Coles, Fred, “Notices of…some Hitherto Undescribed Cup-and-ring-marked Stones,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries Scotland, volume 37, 1903.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks for use of the Ordnance Survey map in this site profile, reproduced with the kind permission of the National Library of Scotland.

West Lamberkine (2), Aberdalgie, Perth, Perthshire

25/03/202426/03/2024 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NO 0654 2296

Archaeology & History

All trace of this carving seems to have gone. It was first recorded by the great Fred Coles (1903) who found it within a small group of stones, but no one has seen it since. Unless it’s been shifted into one of the nearby walls, it may have been destroyed. Coles told us it could be found,

Cole’s 1903 sketch of the carving

Stone ‘A’ is the culprit

“at a point 333 yards east of the farm-steadings, where two hedges meet at right angles. Four stones…lie close together. They appear to be all of bastard whinstone. The middle stone, B, has its longer axis ESE and WNW. It is only 3in inches thick. The stones D and C are each 6 inches thick. No marks are to be seen on any of these. But on A is the very distinct sculpturing shown in the illustration…unfortunately not complete, owing to the flaking off of large strips of the weathered lower portion of the slab. There is a strong suggestion of a cist-cover in the shape and size of this stone, which the close proximity of the two other squarer and thinner stones helps to enforce. Though these stones have been known to the tenant for over thirty years, this is, I believe, the first record made of their position and features.”

The records at Canmore have suggested that this lost carving and the missing petroglyph of West Lamberkine (1) nearby are one and the same. This is unlikely. West Lamberkine (1) was described simply as a cup-marked stone, whereas this stone possessed clear identifiable cups and rings. It would be difficult to make such an elementary mistake.

References:

Coles, Fred, “Notices of…Some Hitherto Undescribed Cup-and-ring-marked Stones…” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries Scotland, volume 37, 1903.

Clunskea Burn, Glen Brerachan, Moulin, Perthshire

25/12/202326/12/2023 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NO 003 650

Archaeology & History

When you’ve visited the impressive cup-marked stone at Dalnavaid, this long lost carving might be worth seeking out by the real explorers among you. It’s not been seen for a hundred years and was only reported in brief by the reputable local historian Hugh Mitchell (1923). It’s located a mile north of the Dalnavaid carving, up in the hills on the other side of the road, “on the East side of Clunskea Burn, and on the West shoulder of Ben Skievie.” He described the carving as “having some 16 or 18 cups, and at present it forms part of a grouse butt.”

So if we locate the grouse-butt (they’re usually not too difficult to find), the carving will obviously follow. Mitchell gave us an extra piece of info regarding its location. He described the existence of several other seemingly prehistoric remains within a few yards of the grouse-butt, curious “pit dwellings”, three of them:

“they are of circular shape, about 9 feet in diameter and nearly 5 feet below the surface of the ground, and had evidently been roofed over at one time. The entrance to each is at the lowest level and acts as a drain, to keep the house dry. They are almost the only examples in the district of neolithic dwellings.”

Let us know if you find it!

References:

Mitchell, Hugh, Pitlochry District: Its Topography, Archaeology and History, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1923.