Mare's Craig Quarry

NO21NW 17 248 177.

(NO 248 177) The remains of a Celtic bell of iron, probably coated with bronze, was found on 13th January 1926 by the quarry-master in a small mound of broken stone and soil on the north side of the 'waist' of the 'figure-8-shaped' Mares Craig, about 2 feet from the edge of the quarry. It was found with dressed stones, much carbonised wood or charcoal, probably coloured by burial rather than fire, some broken pieces of bone, a stone possibly a socket stone but for the unsuitability of the material, and a considerable quantity of lime mortar, none of which was adhering to the stones.

A skull, found some time before was lost but the bell and the socket stone are in Perth Museum.

A stone, 3 1/8 ins (79mm) x 2 3/4 ins (69mm) x 1 7/32 ins (31mm) thick, with an hour-glass perforation, was also found on the Craig and is in the Museum.

According to Baird, the quarry-master found, about 1930 'a lot of old urns and bronze things' which Baird assumed to be a typical LBA urnfield. (The urns were apparently removed by Coates of Paisley). Stevenson, however, quoted the quarry-master as saying that cist burials were found in the late 1920's in association with what the master took to be the site of a chapel. Stevenson lists these as long cists.

The whole area was quarried away by 1952.

R R B Watson 1929; R B K Stevenson 1954; Information from MS notes of D Baird 29 June 1952.

No further information.

Visited by OS (R D) 10 May 1970.