Ardjachie Farm

Ardjachie NH 746 845 NH78SW

This boulder (1.7m by 0.65m by 0.35m), which was uncovered by the plough about 1960, is now at Tain Museum. One face bears about thirty irregular cup-shaped depressions and a symbol resembling a spoked wheel.

RCAHMS 1979, visited September 1977

(DES, 1971, 38-9)

NH 746 845, NH 744 848 and NH78SW 26 A programme of archaeological work was carried out, 7–10 September 2013, as part of the Northern Picts: Archaeology of Fortriu project. A geophysical survey was conducted, which aimed to contextualise the landscape location of the Pictish symbol stone (NH78SW 17), which was found at Ardjachie during ploughing in the 1960s. A total of 28 20 x 20m grids were surveyed using gradiometry and 9 grids using resitivity. The geophysical surveys showed few features with the exception of one round, c10m diameter, anomaly identified in the resistivity survey. A test pit suggested this was simply a variation in the subsoil.

A DGPS survey was conducted on the peninsula to map features which had been identified by local society members. The features included midden layers (NH78SW 25) and other unrecorded structural remains of uncertain date. Pottery recovered from one of the middens has been provisionally identified as Beaker pottery and was found in association with a finely worked flint tool.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen, Development Trust, University of Aberdeen and Tarbat Discovery Centre

Gordon Noble and Oskar G. Sveinbjarnarson, University of Aberdeen, 2013

(Source: DES)

NH 746 845, NH 744 848 and NH78SW 26 Resistivity survey.

Archive: University of Aberdeen

Funder: University of Aberdeen, Development Trust, University of Aberdeen and Tarbat Discovery Centre

Gordon Noble and Oskar G. Sveinbjarnarson, University of Aberdeen, 2013

(Source: DES)

The carvings are on a standing stone which includes 2 Pictish symbols. The stone was found in a field about 7 miles to the NW (at NH 74600 84500) and moved to its present position soon after it was found. It is now beside the SE wall of Tain museum. There is a wall to the S and E and the burial ground of the Collegiate Church and St Duthac's chapel is to the N. The street is to the E.

The standing stone is 0.65 x 0.35m and 1.5m high. The back of the stone is much wider at the base. There do not appear to be any cup marks or carvings on the back or sides of the stone. There was a little moss on the back of the stone but no lichen. The front (N face) of the stone had a little moss and a thick cover of fine lichen. The moss was removed and the lichen brushed but not removed before recording. There are at least 32 single cupmarks, some small ones and some larger ones on the front face. There is 1 clear rosette, and another possible rosette with some damage on the top 2 cups, on the top right part of the stone. On the left side of this face there are 3 grooves, one joining 2 cups and the other two each running down from a single cup. The rest of the cups appear to be randomly placed, although there is a cluster at the bottom of the stone. The 2 Pictish symbols are centrally placed on the stone nearer to the top than the bottom and consist of a 'wheel' symbol and an upside down L. The photogrammetry suggests there may be more shallow carving to the right of the upside down L, this may be more Pictish carving. The photogrammetry revealed more cups and details than were visible on the day of the visit and on previous drawings.

Visited by Scotland's Rock Art Project, 12 December 2019