OS1/1/42/31
| List of names as written | Various modes of spelling | Authorities for spelling | Situation | Description remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SITE of STONE CIRCLES Stone Celt found here | (Sites of)Stone Circles (Sites of)Stone Circles (Sites of)Stone Circles |
Mr. William Bisset, Ardtannes. Mr. Bisset, Merchant Inverury Rev. [Reverend] Mr. Davidson, Manse |
054 | On the brow of the hill above Ardtannes, Mr Bisset farmer there, trenched four out of five Circles lying within the space of a quarter of a mile. In Circle No. 1 was a stone of considerable size, slightly hollowed in the centre, the hollow running longitudinally, which may have been used for polishing arrowheads. Close to this stone a stone axe was found, measuring about 8 inches in length and about 3½ in breadth at the widest part. The stone is of soft nature and when found was covered with a substance of a dull red colour which Mr Bisset could not wash off. A friend to whom he showed the axe detached a quantity of this substance with a knife, took it to Edinburgh, and had it analyzed, when it proved to be blood. When this circle was trenched it was seen that a ditch had been cut almost directly through the centre to the depth of three feet and completely filled with ashes. Circle No.2, although the largest, when trenched presented nothing remarkable except a quantity of black earth. *A very large stone, supported on two smaller ones lay in Circle No. 3. Its longitudinal direction was east and west. Equidistant from the two supports, on account of the curvature of the stone underneath, it was just clear of the ground. * Circle No. 4 being in the wood has not been disturbed. It is a circular bank of earth with an opening towards the south, not unlike an old cattle fold, and contains no standing stones. [ not a farming circle - see note] J.H.C.Circle No.5 contained a stone exactly similar to that in No. 1. A semicircular line of stones enclosed Nos 4. and 5. When trenched, this line was found to be about three feet wide and upwards of three feet deep. These stones were used, as well as those of the Cairn on the Hill of Ardtannes, for building stone walls. In the wood immediately north of these circles, the ground is covered with small cairns or mounds of stones which Mr Bisset surmises to be graves, and many probably contain stone coffins. ______ Considering the immense number of arrowheads found near the Old Hall of Ardtannes, the stone axe in Circle No. 1, and the barricade of stones encircling Nos.4 and 5, as well as the number of small cairns on the hill behind, - this may have been an ancient British settlement. |
| SITE of TRAVERSE | (Sites of)Stone Circles (Sites of)Stone Circles (Sites of)Stone Circles |
Mr. William Bisset, Ardtannes. Mr. Bisset, Merchant Inverury Rev. [Reverend] Mr. Davidson, Manse |
054 | On the brow of the hill above Ardtannes, Mr Bisset farmer there, trenched four out of five Circles lying within the space of a quarter of a mile. In Circle No. 1 was a stone of considerable size, slightly hollowed in the centre, the hollow running longitudinally, which may have been used for polishing arrowheads. Close to this stone a stone axe was found, measuring about 8 inches in length and about 3½ in breadth at the widest part. The stone is of soft nature and when found was covered with a substance of a dull red colour which Mr Bisset could not wash off. A friend to whom he showed the axe detached a quantity of this substance with a knife, took it to Edinburgh, and had it analyzed, when it proved to be blood. When this circle was trenched it was seen that a ditch had been cut almost directly through the centre to the depth of three feet and completely filled with ashes. Circle No.2, although the largest, when trenched presented nothing remarkable except a quantity of black earth. *A very large stone, supported on two smaller ones lay in Circle No. 3. Its longitudinal direction was east and west. Equidistant from the two supports, on account of the curvature of the stone underneath, it was just clear of the ground. * Circle No. 4 being in the wood has not been disturbed. It is a circular bank of earth with an opening towards the south, not unlike an old cattle fold, and contains no standing stones. Circle No.5 contained a stone exactly similar to that in No. 1. A semicircular line of stones enclosed Nos 4. and 5. When trenched, this line was found to be about three feet wide and upwards of three feet deep. These stones were used, as well as those of the Cairn on the Hill of Ardtannes, for building stone walls. In the wood immediately north of these circles, the ground is covered with small cairns or mounds of stones which Mr Bisset surmises to be graves, and many probably contain stone coffins. ______ Considering the immense number of arrowheads found near the Old Hall of Ardtannes, the stone axe in Circle No. 1, and the barricade of stones encircling Nos.4 and 5, as well as the number of small cairns on the hill behind, - this may have been an ancient British settlement. |
Continued entries/extra info
[page] 31Parish of Inverury
Under "List of Names as written on the Plan" - Stone Celt found here
Circle No. 3 * Probably the Altar Stone
Circle No.4 * Note. On inquiry, I learn from Mr William Bisset that Circle No. 4 (in the wood) was cast up by himself when herding on the Hill before it was planted as a "pumphile" or fold for cattle, and that the parapet adjoining it was made by George Taylor, Lord Kintore's ground officer, when the field was trenched and laid off. Taylor at first intended to bring the north fence of the field as far up as this Parapet, but abandoned it at the instigation of William Bisset who assured him the "pumphile" & ground beside it was not worth trenching. The circle or parapet within the field (No.5 circle) are of very old date, & for years after the field was trenched the crop within the Parapet and Circle was always extremely thick & overgrown: - These are genuine antiquities - E H Courtney, Captain R.E.[Royal Engineers]
Transcriber's notes
I transcribed Page OS1/1/42/31 under the first heading of "Stone Circles Stone Celt found here", as the script did not have any breaks which could be attributed to the other three headings.One old Scottish word is causing difficulty, in the "Continued entries"
Looks like PUMPHILE. In the Concise Scottish Dictionary "pumphal" or "pumphel" is a square enclosure for cattle.
Transcribers who have contributed to this page.
Nora Edwards, Geoffrey M Gill
Location information for this page.
Linked mapsheets.
