Archaeology Notes

Event ID 668889

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/668889

NJ62NE 1 6798 2798.

(NJ 6798 2798) Stone Circle (NR) Urns found.

OS 6" map, (1959)

A recumbent stone circle, previously known as Tap o' Mast. Before Dalrymple's excavation moved them in 1856-7, there were twelve stones forming a circle nearly 60ft (18.3m) in diameter, with the recumbent, its two pillars, and a fourth slab arranged to form two sides of a parallelogram, whose other two sides had traditionally been dry stone walls. This arrangement may have been caused by the district Head Courts held here in medieval times. All that remained in 1902 were the prostrate recumbent stone, the two broken and displaced flankers, and six other blocks, only one of which was in situ.

The excavation revealed a central, oblong layer of stones 2 1/2ft (0.76m) deep, in which was a pit 2ft (0.6m) in diameter containing burnt bones; charcoal; fragments of an urn; and part of a polished stone wrist guard. Other small deposits of bones occured around and within 2ft (0.6m) of this pit. The contents of another pit 5ft (1.5m) deep, between the E pillar and stone H (see plan), included black mould and fire-marked boulder stones.

A stone cup, minus handle, was found about 1895, and in 1902 an urn was discovered containing what was possibly burnt bones, but it was broken by the spade.

Callander (1935) mentions cup marks on the recumbent stone.

F R Coles 1902; J G Callander 1935; J Stuart 1856.

A mutilated recumbent stone circle as described and planned by Coles (1902). It has been ploughed through but no further finds are reported. The recumbent stone has at least three weathered cup marks on it, and there is a cupmark on stone 'D'.

Re-surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (NKB) 11 March 1969.

Air photographs: AAS/00/12/G30/8-10 and AAS/00/12/CT.

NMRS, MS/712/100.