earth mysteries

Dunruchan Hill, Muthill, Perthshire

09/04/202613/04/2026 megalithix

Cairnfield: OS Grid Reference – NN 790 168 (centred)

Getting Here

Simply follow the directions to reach the Dunruchan monoliths ‘D’ and ‘E’ and then zigzag through the heather to their immediate south—from just a few dozen yards away, to up to 300 yards west. Keep your eyes peeled for the stoney little rises in the heather as you walk back and forth and you’ll see at least some of these cairns.

Archaeology & History

Not to be confused with the large cairn scatter on the grassy plain of Aodann Mhor a short distance north-west (whereon stands the magisterial Dunruchan A monolith), many of which which may be just field clearance cairns. This small group found a short distance east, south and west of Dunruchan stones ‘D’ and ‘E’ are more typical burial cairns. They each average between five and six yards across and none are more than three feet high. We first noticed them about ten years ago and on subsequent visits kept looking them over, but the deep heather ensured they were hard to see. But, after a recent heather-burning exercise on the moors, they are at thankfully visible—for a short time at least.

At the time of writing, probably the best one to see is found 40 yards south of Dunruchan D and 47 yards north-east of Dunruchan E and may have the astronomers amongst you running for the theodolites! It has that distinct look about it when you see it in context with the landscape and adjacent standing stones. The westernmost cairn that’s (presently) known here is 300 yards west of the Dunruchan E stone, just past the Dunruchan enclosure, at NN 7873 1676. It’s likely that there are other unrecorded prehistoric sites in this area.

Amidst this section of the moors is a line of very low walling that runs a short distance east-to-west, towards the Dunruchan ‘E’ stone. A lot of old walling exists hereby, mainly visible in the fields to the east, but this particular line is much smaller and of a different age by the look of things, presumably older. It has the appearance of walling more usually associated with prehistoric hut circles, but in this case runs in a straight line towards the standing stone. Curious…

Folklore

The standing stones on this plain and the cairns here are said to be the graves of fallen Roman soldiers, slain by our tribal Scots two thousand years ago. In all honesty though, these are likely to be much older than any of those Roman savages.

Dunruchan ‘F’, Muthill, Perthshire

08/04/202608/04/2026 megalithix

Standing Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – NN 795 168

Archaeology & History

When Fred Coles (1911) visited the giant impressive Dunruchan standing stones, he told that “some distance to the east” of the Dunruchan E stone, “near the unnamed stream…my friend Mr James Simpson has seen another great Stone, but lying prostrate.” When he visited the area the weather beat him back (easily done up here!) and prevented him “from wandering far over the moor, and therefore this Stone was not observed.” It remains lost. (the grid-reference given for this site is an approximation)

References:

Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire, Principally Strathearn,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 45, 1911.
Finlayson, Andrew, The Stones of Strathearn, One Tree Island: Comrie 2010.

Ballykean (Penrose) (14), County Wicklow

31/03/202631/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – SG 21640 43035

Also Known as:

Ballykean Stone A (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century. First noticed by a Mr Hugh Jones of Ballykean House, it was the northernmost carving in the cluster. When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the carving in 1990 it could not be located—although they did note a stone of similar size in the field boundary to the north-east, but could find no cup-marks on it.

When George Kinihan (1884) described the stone, he told it to be a block of granite, “about 5 feet by 5.3 feet, and standing 3.3 feet high” in a field known as the Fort Field (although there are no remains of a fort here). Kinihan took a rubbing of the carving, which highlighted eleven cup-marks on its upper surface, as illustrated here. More recently, in Corlett’s (2014) rock art survey, he told that there were “several large dumps of granite boulders” north of the field and wondered whether these might be where this, and the other stones, had been moved. Does anyone know…?

References:

Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

Ballykean (Penrose) (2), County Wicklow

26/03/202628/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – SG 21584 42230

Also Known as:

Ballykean ‘Stone M’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century. When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for this carving in 1990, it could not be located. It was first described by George Kinihan (1884), who told that it was, a “block about 6 by 5.5 feet, and 2.25 feet high. The upper surface has eight cups, two of which are joined by a channel.” The site was included in Corlett’s (2014) fine survey, who could add no additional data about the stone.

References:

Corlett, Christiaan, Inscribing the Landscape: The Rock Art of South Leinster, Wordwell: Dublin 2014.
Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

Ballykean (Penrose) (1), County Wicklow

26/03/202628/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – SG 21648 42072

Also Known as:

Ballykean ‘Stone N’ (Kinihan 1884)

Archaeology & History

This is one of at least fourteen petroglyphs in this parish that have been either lost or destroyed since their initial description in the 19th century. The carving was, wrote Kinahan (1884) in his day, “in the field south of Ballykean House.” But when the Archaeological Survey of Ireland looked for the stone in 1990, it could not be located. Kinihan told that it was,

“a large flattish stone, which slopes SW. On the SW surface near the top margin is one cup. In the vicinity of this block there are others, but on none of them were cups remarked. Most of these have been split, while others are said to have been broken up to build Ballykean House, with the farm buildings and walls.”

References:

Kinihan, George H., “Proceedings: Cup-marked and Inscribed Stones in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford”, in Journal Royal Society Antiquaries Ireland, (4th series) volume 6, 1884.

Druim na Cille, Comrie, Perthshire

25/03/202630/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 73838 24299

Getting Here

Along the A85 road between Comrie and St Fillans, just over a mile out of Comrie, on the right-hand side (north) of the road is the small farm-track into the fields where the ruined stone circle of Tullybannocher lives. Walk up this track (known as Maam Road), past the stones, and keep going uphill for more than a mile (literally 1 mile up, another track turns sheer right, but ignore it) where the track eventually levels-out; keep walking for another 600 yards, slightly downhill, until you reach a distinct fork in the track where you need to veer right, uphill, and keep walking up the track for ⅔-mile (1km) where you’ll eventually see a cottage ahead of you. 150 yards before this, to your left, down the slight slope and just as it begins to slope back up again on the other side, there’s some olde walling with a coupla big stones in it. It’s there!

Archaeology & History

When James MacIntosh (1888) first visited this carving in the 19th century—which is close to the curious cairn of Druim na Cille just 75 yards to the west—he described there being a group of seven large stones forming, what he thought, might have been a large enclosure. I think he was right. Several of these stones can still be seen: each of them along some ancient walling that swerves in an arc to the east. One of these stones has a number of cup-marks on it.

The design isn’t too impressive when compared to others in this neck o’ the woods, but they’re very distinct. We visited the place on a truly dark grey day: conditions that don’t usually allow for good visibility regarding cup-marks; but thankfully the cups along this stone are quite deep and hard to miss. Running along one section of the stone are what Gow called, “eleven beautifully formed cups, varying from 2¼ to 4 inches in diameter and from half an inch to an inch in depth.” When Fred Coles (1911) came here he counted thirteen cup-marks. There may be fourteen.

The stone does possess some more recent groove marks made by a metal instrument, possibly a tractor or perhaps when local workmen stuck up a microwave tower close by. Thankfully it hasn’t directly affected the cups on the stone. Check it out when you visit the nearby ring cairn.

References:

Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire, Principally Strathearn,” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 45, 1911.
Gow, James M., “Notes near St Fillans: Cup-Marked Stones, Old Burying Ground at Kindrochet and Drumnakill”, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 22, 1888.

Chestnut Cottage, Tugby, Leicestershire

25/03/202625/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (missing): OS Grid Reference – SK 7618 0095

Archaeology & History

In this neck o’ the woods, cup-marked stones are very rare. This one was described in Phil Vine’s (1982) regional archaeology survey as consisting of eight cup-marks on a piece of stone three-feet across. The carving, he told, could be found outside of a “former blacksmith’s shop, immediately south of Chestnut Cottage”, but was removed some time ago and is now in “private possession.” Very little else seems to be known about it and there are no other prehistoric sites in close attendance that could help us contextualise it (eg, hut circles, cairns, standing stones, etc). It was mentioned in passing in Gwilym Hughes’ (2000) short piece on the Netherfield cup-marked stone 25 miles to the north-west, but he doesn’t appear to have seen it in the flesh, so to speak. So what has become of it…?

References:

Hughes, Gwilym, “The Cup Marked Stone,” in The Lockington Gold Hoard, Oxford 2000.
Vine, Philip M., The Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures of the Middle and Upper Trent Basin, BAR: Oxford 1982.

Witherley Hall, Witherley, Leicestershire

24/03/202625/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone (lost): OS Grid Reference – SP 3245 9752

Archaeology & History

Witherley’s cup-marked stone (P.M.Vine 1982)

In his survey of prehistoric sites in the Trent basin area, archaeologist Philip Vine (1982) described a cup-marked stone that was “found in a rockery at Witherley Hall, formerly the Rectory, during the 1970s… along with medieval stone work of the chancel of the village church.” Two distinct cup-markings that he described as “deepish” had been carved into a large ‘portable’ stone of coarse-grained diorite rock, measuring 53 by 51 cm — making it somewhat larger than your standard portable. It looks like it may have come from a cairn (was there one nearby?). Vine told that the carving was held in “private possession.” What has become of it…?

References:

Vine, Philip M., The Neolithic and Bronze Age Cultures of the Middle and Upper Trent Basin, BAR: Oxford 1982.

Monzie (3), Bridge of Tilt, Blair Atholl, Perthshire

16/03/202620/03/2026 megalithix

Cup-Marked Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 90553 67894

Getting Here

From Blair Atholl village along the B8079 road, take the minor road signposted to the Bridge of Tilt and go all the way to the top, taking the same directions as if you’re visiting the large prehistoric cairn of Monzie. As you walk towards Monzie farmhouse, you need to look at the large end-facing wall and on the ground at the bottom-left corner you’ll see this old cup-marked stone, next to an old bullaun. It’s probably polite to knock and ask the farmer—who we found to be very helpful indeed. (huge thanks fella!)

Archaeology & History

This is an intriguing carving, inasmuch as its present habitat isn’t it original home. When we visited the old stone recently, the farmer was very helpful and told us what he knew of it, which was, he said, “not much.” In pointing out where it had originally come from, he pointed south, “past the fields – somewhere over there. My dad knew about it,” he told, and thought that he may have been the one who found it. Anyhow, it was his dad who brought it to the place where it now sits: right up against the edge of the house on its southeast corner.

“It looks like it might have come from a tomb,” I said, but he didn’t know about that. The giant cairn in the fields past his farmhouse certainly wasn’t where it had come from. Quite the opposite direction… And so it transpired when I looked at the very menial archaeological notes that have been written about it.

When archaeologist Margaret Stewart noted the carving in the 1960s, she told how the stone had reportedly been found in 1953 by the ruined lime-kiln (NN 9052 6672), just above the western shore of Loch Moraig. But what she didn’t know was that the lime-kiln was built at the edge of the prehistoric tomb that was known to local people as Carndeshal, or Cairn Deshal. The word deshal means sunwise, or the direction taken by the sun, clockwise, as in the word deosil. It is usually associated with a ceremonial procession. The cup-marked stone probably came from this cairn when it had been demolished and was thankfully saved by the farmer.

Altogether there are 24 or 25 mainly well-defined cup-marks on this thin slab, covering most of the surface. In a couple of places on the stone, two of the cups are conjoined. There are apparently no cup-marks on the other side of the stone.

Acknowledgements: To my awesome Naomi – for getting us up here.

Craig Hill (17), Kenmore, Perthshire

05/11/202501/01/2026 megalithix

Cup-and-Ring Stone: OS Grid Reference – NN 81334 45077

Getting Here

Like many of the Craig Hill carvings, this takes some finding when the heather’s deep… If you can locate the Craig Hill hut circle (there are actually several of them close to each other), face uphill (looking at the trees) and then from the hut circle walk diagonally to your right (northeast) and walk up the slope for 30-40 yards. A large boulder is in front of you and, just past it at the edge of a small rock-face, a fallen tree is your marker. Just a few yards above and past this is an earthfast elongated stretch of rock. You’ll find it…

Archaeology & History

On my visit to this carving I arrived near the end of the day. Within the hour, beneath an already cloudy grey sky, night had fallen; and so, obviously, my assessment of this carvings design was somewhat hampered…

It’s one of several quite separate petroglyphs that almost collide with each other on adjacent rock faces. Etched across this, an elongated slightly convex stone, we find a series of cup-marks in no particular order, mainly running along the topmost section of the stone. Others fall away at the edges, with what seemed like one or two at the more northeastern end of the stone. However, due to the poor lighting when I came here, I struggled to make out the full design and so probably missed some important elements. I’ll update this if/when I visit it again – or if a fellow antiquarian visits the spot and sends in some good images.