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Field Visit
Date 26 November 1997
Event ID 801366
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/801366
NN82SE 66 8590 2020
Cropmarks on oblique aerial photographs (RCAHMSAP 1981, 1988 and 1992) reveal a mass of features in the field around the standing stone (NN82SE 22) at Dargill, including linear cropmarks and pits, some of which form alignments. The strongest feature is an old river channel running WSW to ENE across the field and bifurcating as it approaches the present course of the River Earn. The S side of this channel is visible as a terrace edge lying immediately to the N of the standing stone.
The linear cropmarks may all have been field boundaries or parts of enclosures, but none forms a particularly coherent pattern. A ditch describing a shallow arc lies to the N of the old channel (NN 8589 2015 to NN 8597 2021) and may have been part of a field boundary along the river bank. The other linear cropmarks (NN 8587 2000 and NN 8599 2018) are characterised by straight lengths of ditch.
There is a rash of pits and other cropmarks across the whole field, many of which may be either tree throws or geological features. Other pit-groups were identified on the basis of the relative clarity of the markings against the mass of less distinct markings across the field.
A pit-alignment, marked by nine small, sharply defined pits extends over about 42m from E to W (NN 8584 2017 to NN 2017 8589) along the N side of the old river channel. Other groups or lines of clearly defined pits are disposed across both sides of the channel (NN 8585 2028, NN 8588 2024, NN 8592 2018, NN 8588 2013, NN 8591 2012, NN 8586 2009, NN 8599 2006).
Indeterminate cropmarkings lie to the E, S and W of the standing stone (NN82SE 22), some of which may be related to the removal of two other stones alleged to have stood in this field. Coles (1911) claims that two great stones were removed in 1909, but the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Perthshire 1866, sheet cvii) depicts only one, casting doubt on Coles' reliability. What may be a circle of pits, measuring about 40m in diameter lies to the E (NN 8599 2006).
Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 26 November 1997
F R Coles 1911.
