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Tillytarmont No. 1, The Goose Stone
Pictish Symbol Stone (Pictish)
Site Name Tillytarmont No. 1, The Goose Stone
Classification Pictish Symbol Stone (Pictish)
Alternative Name(s) North Tillytarmont; Donaldstone Haugh
Canmore ID 17826
Site Number NJ54NW 11
NGR NJ 5297 4645
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/17826
- Council Aberdeenshire
- Parish Cairnie
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Gordon
- Former County Aberdeenshire
Tillytarmont 1, Aberdeenshire, Pictish symbol stone
Measurements: H 1.12m, W 0.48m wide
Stone type: red granite
Place of discovery: NJ
Present location: in the Marischal Museum, University of Aberdeen (ABdua.39394).
Evidence for discovery: found during ploughing shortly before 1867 on a promontory at the confluence of the Isla and Deveron rivers, and built into the west wall of an outhouse at North Tillytarmont farm.
Present condition: apart from flaking at the top right, the stone is in good condition.
Description
One broad face of this tapering slab is incised with a goose facing right, above a mirror with a double-ball handle and a circular disc and rectangle (or ‘mirror-case’) with an inner small circle in the disc. Both the mirror and the disc and rectangle have double outlines.
Date: seventh century.
References: ECMS pt 3, 185-6; Fraser 2008, no 46.1.
Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2017
NJ54NW 11 5297 4645
See also NJ54NW 1.
A symbol stone was ploughed up a little before 1867 in the field called Donaldstone Haugh (centred at NJ 533 473) on North Tillytarmont farm where it is now built into the west wall of the small outhouse next the NE corner of the farmhouse. To agree with Ferguson (1956) and to avoid confusion it is now labelled Tilleytarmont No. 1: It is of red granite, about 3'8" high, sculptured on one face with a bird - sometimes identified as a goose, hence the occasional appelation 'goose stone' - together with the mirror and mirror-case symbols. The base seems to end in a tenon as if for fitting to a socket.
(For the stones called Tilleytarmont Nos. 2 and 3 and a fourth stone from North Redhill, see NJ54NW 1.)
J R Allen and J Anderson 1903; W D Simpson 1935; W Ferguson 1956.
Field Visit (4 February 1964)
The symbol stone is as described above. It is built into the west wall of the outhouse 1.0m from the NW corner at NJ 5297 4645. No further information could be found of the original find-spot.
Visited by OS (NKB) 4 February 1964.
External Reference (23 August 1996)
[Now in the Anthropological Museum, University of Aberdeen.
I A G Shepherd 1984; RCAHMS 1985; I A G Shepherd and J Inglis 1985. ]
Now in the Marischal Museum, University of Aberdeen.
Information from Mr N Curtis, 23 August 1996.
Reference (1997)
Class I symbol stone - Tillytarmont 1 - showing a goose over a mirror and a mirror case.
A Mack 1997.
