Tag: Tayside

St. Chad’s Well, Logierait, Perthshire

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Holy Well (destroyed):  OS Grid Reference – NN 9677 5199

Also Known as:

  1. Fuaran Chad
  2. St. Cedd’s Well

Archaeology & History

All trace of this once renowned holy well seems to have gone.  It was located, according to the local historian James Kennedy (1927) “on the terrace behind the Church”; although Charles Stewart (1880) earlier told that it was found on the hillside above the church.  On our recent visit here, the level piece of land just above the River Tay, “on the terrace behind the Church” as Kennedy told, had no notable spring of water upon it—but we didn’t check the slope above the road to see if there was anything there. By all accounts it’s long since gone.

There’s also slight confusion regarding the dedication of this well.  Kennedy, once more, ascribed it to have been St Cedd’s Well, the brother of St Chad, and not Chad himself who was venerated here.  But this wasn’t the view of MacKinlay (1893) or Knight (1933) in their major studies.  But let’s leave that element to the hagiologists for the time being!

Tradition told that the spirit of the waters was deeply offended when the annual market in Logierait—dedicated to St Chad/Ched on his saint’s day of August 22—was stopped.  As a result the waters removed themselves and fell back to Earth.  This curious motif is found at a number of wells in other parts of the country.

References:

  1. Kennedy, James, Folklore and Reminiscences of Strathtay and Grandtully, Munro Press: Perth 1927.
  2. Knight, G.A.F., Archaeological Light on the Early Christianizing of Scotland – volume 2, James Clarke: London 1933.
  3. MacKinlay, James M., Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, William Hodge: Glasgow 1893.
  4. MacKinlay, James M., Influence of the Pre-Reformation Church on Scottish Place-Names, William Blackwood: Edinburgh 1904.
  5. Mitchell, Hugh, Pitlochry District: Its Topography, Archaeology and History, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1923.
  6. Morris, Ruth & Frank, Scottish Healing Wells, Alethea: Sandy 1982.
  7. Stewart, Charles, The Gaelic Kingdom in Scotland, Maclachlan & Stewart: Edinburgh 1880.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian 

Clach na Croiche, Balnaguard, Perthshire

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Standing Stones:  OS Grid Reference – NN 94624 52118

Also Known as:

  1. Balnaguard Farm
  2. Gallows Stone

Getting Here

Site on the 1899 OS-map

Just as you’re coming into Balnaguard village on the B898 road from the eastern side (as if you’ve come via the A9 from near Pitlochry), just where the road crosses a small burn (stream), take the first farm-track on your right and walk down to the end where it meets the field.  Here, walk to your left left and you’ll see a gate that takes you into the field.  You should have already noticed the standing stone before you even open the gate!  It’s about 100 yards in front of you.  You can’t really miss it.

Archaeology & History

Clach na Croiche

Standing alone in this field a short distance south of the River Tay is this fine old standing stone, nearly seven feet high, from whose locale we gaze west to the opening of the Perthshire mountains—but in times gone by it wasn’t alone.  Less than 10 yards east of the Clach na Croiche stood another seven-foot tall standing stone and, some six yards further east (and along the same axis) there may have stood another one, some 7½ feet high.  This alignment ran east-west in line with the rising and setting of the sun at the equinoxes. (whether that was deliberate or not is another matter altogether) and was first noticed by the great antiquarian Fred Coles (1904) in one of his many megalithic ventures.  He wondered “whether they (were) fallen Standing Stones, or the covers of cists” and when they were looked at by Margaret Stewart in 1971 she found that one of them laid beside “a shallow socket outlined with packing stones”—meaning that it had stood upright.  The other stone didn’t seem as certain, although Stewart did report finding “a single cupmark…on the eastern side of the upper surface.”  We’ve yet to see a photo of this carving.

The Clach na Croiche also has its own cup-markings, just above the bottom of the stone on its southern-face.  Margaret Stewart described them  as being “strung out irregularly across the face.”  Sounds about right!  Sadly, somehow, I didn’t get any photos of these when I last visited, but will grab some the next time I’m there.

Looking to the west
Looking to the northeast

In the fields either side of the stones, ancient tombs have been found.  Around 1887, the Duke of Atholl dug under some of the stones in the field and found a “cup” or urn which Coles reported “was found in a cist in the haugh near Tom-na-Croiche.”  Then, in 1969, the farmer John MacBeth was ploughing the field and unearthed another cist some 15 yards north-west of the present upright.  The base of the cist was cobbled and whilst whilst the tomb itself was filled-in, the farmer moved the covering stone to the fence at the west-side of the field (NN 9455 5205).  Also, on the eastern side of the field in 1971, Stewart reported finding what she thought were the remains of cremated bones that seemed to have been part of another prehistoric structure.

Fred Cole’s 1904 sketch
Looking to the southeast

Nearly 250 yards to the west of the stone, in the adjacent field, a huge prehistoric cairn—known as the Sketewan Cairn—was uncovered and fully excavated in the late 1980s.  It originally stood some four feet high and was nearly seventy feet across.  Within the cairn complex, a small standing stone accompanied some cremations.  Unfortunately this entire archaeological site has since been completely covered over.  You wouldn’t even know it was there if you stood right next to it!  But if you want to see Balnaguard’s remaining tombs, head for the Fairy Mound right in the heart of the village…

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire – North Eastern Section,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries Scotland, volume 42, 1908.
  2. Dixon, John H., Pitlochry, Past and Present, L. Mackay: Pitlochry 1925.
  3. Kennedy, James, Folklore and Reminiscences of Strathtay and Grandtully, Munro Press: Perth 1927.
  4. Omand, Donald (ed.), The Perthshire Book, Birlinn: Edinburgh 1999.
  5. Stevenson, J., “Prehistory,” in Omand’s The Perthshire Book, Edinburgh 1999.
  6. Stewart, Margaret E.C., “Perthshire: Balnaguard”, in Discovery & Excavation in Scotland, 1971.
  7. Swarbrick, Olaf, A Gazetteer of Prehistoric Standing Stones in Great Britain, BAR: Oxford 2012.
  8. Yellowlees, Sonia, Cupmarked Stones in Strathtay, Scotland Magazine: Edinburgh 2004.

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.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian 

Drumchanachan, Edradynate, Weem, Perthshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 87937 52593

Also Known as:

  1. Lurgan

Getting Here

The stone in question

Various ways to get here, but it’s probably easiest if you’re coming via Aberfeldy.  From here, go over the river bridge to Castle Menzies and Weem, but turn right once you’ve crossed the bridge and follow the road parallel to the river for just over 3 miles (4.9km) where you’ll reach a tiny road on your left, going uphill.  You can park the car 150 yards up, on your right – then walk uphill (don’t drive any further).  Walk up the road for just over half-a-mile (0.95km) and take the right turn; go along here for 300 yards where the pond appears and keep walking along the same road for another 250 yards till you reach a cottage by a small crossroads.  From here, walk up (left) for another 300 yards where, near the top of the field, a large boulder sits close to the fence.  You’ve arrived!.

Archaeology & History

Drumchanachan carving

On the way back down from a bimble to the beautiful and haunted Loch Derculich, Naomi and I stumbled upon this large stone just off the track below Lurgan farmhouse and found there to be a number of cup-marks on its sloping upper surface.  Naomi was really truly excited! 🙂

On its northwestern surface there’s is a distinct scattering of cup-marks: one in particular near the middle of the stone that’s been deepened in more recent times, as if it was ready to be blown-up and destroyed but, once realised it was a stone of the fairy folk, the operation was terminated and the stone left here to live!  Thankfully…

Close-up of cups
Deep lines of cups

It’s a pretty basic design, consisting of at least eleven cup-marks, mainly running in a line upwards along its westernmost side,  following the edge of a natural ridged contour.  Of the two topmost cups, one of them may have a carved line running to it with a faint semi-circle then emerging from the line around the edge of the cup.  But it’s faint—if it’s real—and the daylight was fading when we came here so this and any other design elements that may exist weren’t too easy to see.  Hopefully I’ll get back up here pretty soon and see if there’s anything else hiding beneath the aged shadows.

It’s a wonderful arena above Edradynate, with countless other ancient sites peppered across the landscape hereby…

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian 

Cecilmount, Blackford, Perthshire

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Stone Circle (destroyed):  OS Grid Reference – NN 9020 0985

Also Known as:

  1. Blackford Glebe
  2. Brookfield House

Archaeology & History

In the 18th Century there stood, on the slight rise of the land about 150 yards south of Brookfield House, one of those “circles of stones…in the glebe”, of the sort that “are supposed to have been places of Druidical worship,” wrote John Stevenson. (1792)  Sadly, sometime in the 19th Century, the entire site was uprooted and destroyed, leaving no trace of the place.  Not good…. 🙁

References:

  1. Stevenson, John, “Parish of Blackford,” in The Statistical Account of Scotland – volume 3, (edited by, John Sinclair) William Creech: Edinburgh 1792.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Dunruchan Hill, Muthill, Perthshire

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

Getting Here

Cairn NE of Dunruchan ‘E’

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.

Cairn SE of Dunruchan ‘D’
Cairn S of Dunruchan ‘D’

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.

Low line of ancient walling

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.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Allt Coire Phadairlidh (1), Fearnan, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 69279 42814

Getting Here

Allt Coire Phadairlidh stone

Along the A827 Loch Tay road, halfway between Fearnan and Lawers just beyond the forestry, a track goes up into the fields across from Feadan house (big shed above you in field).  Careful, or you’ll miss it.  Go up here and head all the way up the steep winding track for 700 yards (as the crow flies) until, where the land starts levelling out, you hit the long straight line of old walling.  Go over it and walk to your right (northeast) for a few hundred yards until it bears sharp left (NW), keep walking along it for another 45 yards and, where the fence turns down to the water, just keeping walking up the slope to the scatter of rocks. Look around!

Archaeology & History

Looking down at the cups

When you consider there are multiple-ringed carvings close by on the same geological ridge as this carving, there’s little wonder this fella hardly gets any attention: the design here is nothing special compared to its close neighbours.  That aside: on this small flat surface we have six or seven simple cup-marks; most of them quite small, with the largest of the lot having what looks like a small carved arc around one side of it—although I couldn’t make my mind up one way or the other to be honest.  A few more visits might prove more conclusive.

Folklore

The stream at the side of this carving and others nearby—the Allt Coire Phadairlidh, or Padderlie’s Burn—was the haunt of an urisk, who gave his name to the waters.  He lived a little further up on the knoll.  Several other carvings are just below here.  Urisks were plentiful in this area.  They are variously described as demonic creatures, referred to by Alexander Carmichael as “a monster, half human half goat, with abnormally long hair, long teeth and long claws.” (teeth aside, that sounds like me! 🙂 ) They mainly live by lonely waterfalls and a small beautiful fall is very close by.  They are associated in some places with cup-marked stones, where offerings of milk were made to placate them.  In truth, these nature spirits seem to be folk remnants of solitary shaman figures cast into the edges of hills.  A local lady who lived in this area said she’d met an urisk near here and he was anything but the fearful creatures they are made out to be…

References:

  1. Currie, George, “Kenmore: Allt Coire Phadairlaidh (AP1): Cup-Marked Rock,” in Discovery & Excavtion Scotland, vol. 9 (new series), 2008.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Witch’s Stone, Bankfoot, Perthshire

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Standing Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NO 04236 37526

Getting Here

Witch’s Stone, looking NW

Travel along the B867 road from Bankfoot to Dunkeld (running roughly parallel with the A9) and you’ll reach the hamlet of Waterloo about one mile north of Bankfoot.  As you approach the far end of the village, keep your eyes peeled for the small turning on your left and head up there for just over a mile.  The road runs to a dead end at Meikle Obney farm, but shortly before reaching there you’ll pass this large standing stone on the right-side of the road, just along the fence-line.  It’s almost impossible to miss!

Archaeology & History

This is one of “the large rude upright stones found in the parish” that William Marshall (1880) mentioned briefly, amidst his quick sojourn into the Druidic history of Perthshire.  It’s an impressive standing stone on the southern edges of the Obney Hills that doesn’t seem to be in its original position.  And it’s another one that was lucky to survive, as solid metal staples were hammered into it more than a hundred years ago when it was incorporated into the fencing, much like the massive Kor Stone 6½ miles south-west of here.

Site shown on 1867 map
Witch’s Stone at roadside

Shown on the first Ordnance Survey map of the area in 1867, its bulky 6½-foot-tall body stands all alone on this relatively flat plain, with open views to the east, south and west.  It gave me the distinct impression that it was once part of a larger megalithic complex, but I can find no additional evidence to substantiate this.  Call it a gut-feeling if you will.  Intriguingly, the closest site to this are two standing stones just out of view literally ⅔-mile (1.07km) to the northeast, aligned perfectly to the Witch’s Stone!  Most odd…

Folklore

The story behind this old stone is a creation myth that we find all over the country, but usually relating to prehistoric tombs more than monoliths.  The great Fred Coles (1908) wrote:

“the common legend is told of a witch who, when flying through the air on some Satanic behest, let the Stone fall out of her apron.”

Looking West
Fred Coles’ 1908 sketch
Looking East

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire – North-eastern Section,” in Proceedings Society Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 42, 1908.
  2. Marshall, William, Historic Scenes in Perthshire, William Oliphant: Edinburgh 1880.
  3. Stewart, Elizabeth, Dunkeld – An Ancient City, Munro Press: Perth 1926.

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. 

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Kor Stone, Logiealmond, Perthshire

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Standing Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 9733 3004

Also Known as:

  1. Car Stone
  2. Carse Stone

Getting Here

The huge Kor Stone

Take the tiny long winding B8063 road that runs west off the A9 at Luncarty, meandering eventually to the entry of the Sma’ Glen.  If you’re coming via Luncarty, after going west for 8 miles (12.9km) you pass the hamlet of Harrietfield and just a few hundred yards further a dirt-track on your right goes uphill to Milton.  If you’re coming via Crieff/Sma’ Glen direction, along the B8063 road, cross the Bridge of Buchanty and after nearly 3 miles (4.7km) just past a bit of a hairpin, you’ll see the track up to Milton on your left.  Walk up, past all the newly modernised houses and go through the gate, bearing right where, in the field on your right (thru another gate) you’ll see this big fella standing alone 200 yards to the east along the fence-line.

Archaeology & History

Looking N to Crochan Hill

This is a bit of a hidden beauty!  Standing nearly ten feet tall on the crest of an elongated ridge with the land ever so gently declining either side of its proud stand, it beckons the impression of partners long since gone (or something truly olde)… and so it proved to be.  Very little has been written about the place, despite its impressive stature.  It seems to have been described firstly in J.W. Thomson’s essay on the local parish in April 1837 (subsequently published in the NSA in 1845) where, ascribing it as usual to the druids of olde, he told that,

“at the western extremity of Logiealmond, there is one remarkable block about 12 feet high and 18 feet in circumference, standing upon its narrow end, with three other stones in its immediate vicinity.  It is commonly called the Kor Stone.”

Kor Stone, looking SE

Fred Coles’ 1911 sketch

William Marshall (1880) also mentioned these three additional standing stones, saying that they were “apparently part of a row.”  But they are long gone and we know not what became of them.  They were probably uprooted and included in some of the nearby walling or buildings (quite a lot of suspicious-looking stones scatter the edges of many fields around Logiealmond).  If we look closely at the surface of our Kor Stone, in earlier times someone has fixed metal loops into the monolith to make it part of an early fence or gate.

The stone was highlighted on the 1867 OS-map of the area and described in the accompanying Name Book,

“Carse” Stone on 1867 map

“A stone about ten feet high, supposed by some people to be the remains of a Druidical Circle, by others to be a mark on a division of lands: in support of the latter supposition they bring forward the fact of a large stone at Dunkeld and one near Fowlis – both similar to this one – and The Carse Stane being in the same straight line.”

The great Fred Coles (1911) also gave the place his attention, but apart from a brief description of its size and position, he found no additional lore about the other three stones, telling us simply:

“It is an imposingly large and erect block of rugged whinstone, 9 feet 9 inches in height, with a basal girth of 15 feet 10 inches, but at about midway of its height the girth increases to fully 17 feet. The view…shows the Stone as seen from the east.”

In truth, the location of this giant stone on the ridge strongly suggests it was once part of a much greater megalithic neolithic monument.  But whatever that might have looked like, we may never know.  It’s an awesome site though.  Well worth checking out if you’re in the area.

References:

  1. Coles, Fred, “Report on Stone Circles Surveyed in Perthshire, Principally Strathearn” in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, volume 45, 1911.
  2. Finlayson, Andrew, The Stones of Strathearn, One Tree Island: Comrie 2010.
  3. Marshall, William, Historic Scenes in Perthshire, William Oliphant: Edinburgh 1880.
  4. Thomson, J.W., “Parish of Moneydie,” in New Statistical Account of Scotland – volume X: Perth, William Blackwood: Edinburgh 1845.

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. 

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Stroness (3), Fowlis Wester, Perthshire

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Cup-and-Ring Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 9285 2754

Getting Here

Stroness (3) stone

If you can make your way to the Stroness (2) carving, then walk down the slope for less than 50 yards past quite a few other earthfast stones, you’ll eventually run into the stone shown here in the photos.  You’ll find it easily enough.

Archaeology & History

This carving was found when I was heading down the hillside to meet up with my antiquarian colleague 500 yards lower down.  The sun was just setting, so visibility wasn’t good, but as I rushed from stone to stone feeling each one in the hope of finding a carving, this one gave my fingers that distinct feedback of a cup-marking; then another; and what seemed like another.  I had a small amount of water left in a bottle and quickly sprayed it over the surface of the stone and saw that there were indeed a number of cups on it.  Two or three certainly – but possibly as many as five.  I laid on the wet ground and looked across its even surface from several angles and caught what seemed to be a very faint semi-circle around one of the cups.  But I wasn’t sure it was real.  However, on a number of quick photos I took, several of them do appear to show such an arc around one of the cups.  But I’m very cautious about it.  Only when we (or you) go back up and have a look at it in good light will we be able to affirm or discount it.

One additional feature that needs mentioning is a small low arc of walling just above this stone.  It’s man-made, it’s very old, but I couldn’t work out what it might be: hut circle, cairn (there’s one further up the hill), enclosure walling.  I’m not sure, but it needs to be looked at when we have a full day.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian

Stroness (2), Fowlis Wester, Perthshire

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Cup-Marked Stone:  OS Grid Reference – NN 92774 27569

Also Known as:

  1. Buchanty Hill

Getting Here

Stroness (2), looking SW

The minor road that runs roughly north-south between the hamlets of Fowlis Wester and Buchanty is probably your best bet.  Nearly 2 miles north of the village up the tiny winding lane, where the moorland at the roadside finishes and the fields begin – is where to take the track, left, up onto the hillside.  But after just 75 yards, go left over the rickety-gate and follow the walling until your reach the burn.  Follow this up all the way to its source (it’s boggy as hell) and, once you’re there, walk due north for 250 yards until you reach a cluster of rocks.  Look around!

Archaeology & History

It’s a long way to come to see such a simplistic design —but for the real petroglyph researchers among you, it’s worth it the trek.  It’s had scant attention.  George Currie (2004) seems to have been the only person to mention this stone, giving the standard bland description typifying archaeology.  He wrote:

“SE-facing slope, 1.2m long pointed rock aligned E-W; three shallow cups, 30-40 x 6-10mm.”

Inspiring stuff, ey?!  Anyhow… As usual, there’s more to it than that.  If we assume that the carving described above is the same one I visited yesterday (Mr Currie’s grid-ref is slightly different), even despite the poor daylight, it was obvious there was more than three cup-marks on this.

Lower cups & upper cups

Cups on top

When I got to this stone, the evening sun was literally touching the horizon and so the light cutting across half the rock highlighted very little indeed.  I was rushing, trying to fondle and see as much as I could before the darkening sky clouded everything, and as I almost frenetically sprayed showers of water across its surface, the two or three cups that I could see near the crown of the stone suddenly doubled in number.  Two cups along one edge became three; whilst the sloping surface above these that had one cup suddenly seemed to have a companion.  On the highest part of this gently sloping stone, the form of one of the two distinct cup-marks that first caught my eye seemed to slowly morph into one of the carved “footprint” designs, akin to those clustered on the Ardoch (2) carving 1½ miles south-west of here.  However, this element needs looking at again, as it may have been a curious playful trick between stone and light showing me something that wasn’t there!  Things like that happen with stones.

Altogether there are at least six cup-marks on here, but perhaps as many as eight.  Obviously, if we (or you) visit the site when the light is much better, an even larger design might emerge from this old rock.

I spent perhaps just five minutes here, before heading back down to meet my companion 500 yards below in the midst of the boggy moorland.  Usually a carving gets my fondles for a an hour or two, but conditions weren’t good for us to form a healthy relationship. And so, as I headed downhill, another unrecorded cup-marked stone appeared beneath my rushing feet (Stroness [3] carving)— and I spoke with that for only a couple of minutes.  We need to come back up here and zigzag to find other companions that lay sleeping, forgotten for countless centuries…

References:

  1. Currie, George, ‘Buchanty Hill (Fowlis Wester parish): Cup-marked Rocks’, in Discovery & Excavation Scotland, volume 5, 2004.

© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian