258 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF

III. E EARLIEONTH R ANTIQUITIE E DISTRICTH F F O CROMARSTO , ABERDEENSHIREN I ; INCLUDING A NOTICE OF AN "EIRDE HOUSE," OR UNDERGROUND CHAMBER, RECENTLY DISCOVERED ON THE FARM OP OULSH, IN THE PARISH OP , AND OF ANOTHER AT DRUMNAHOY, NEAK CASTLE FRASER. BY JOHN STUART, ESQ., F.S.A., SCOT. districe Th Cromarf o t Aberdeenshiren ,i holloa s i , w basin, about eight miles lengtn i h from nort southo ht fouy ,b breadt n i r h from eas westo tt , surrounded on all sides by hills, which isolate it from the adjoining country. It lies about thirty-four miles westward from betweed d an , an e river nth e sDe Don, at an equal distance from each. It will be seen from the sequel, that there are many remains which seem to attes earle th t y settlemen abundand an t t populatio localitye th f o n resula , t which probably may be traced to the rich alluvial soil which is found throughout the district. In more modern, times, when we come within the light reflected from written records, we have evidence of the continued cultivation and importance of the district. This little country contains the united parishes of Logy and Cold- stane, Tarland and Migvie, and the parish of Coul. Of these the parishes of Tarland and Migvie had been gifted to the church of the Priory of St Andrews, d tha Monastere f Couan o th t o t l f Arbroathyo twelfte th f o h ,d beforen e eth centurygrane th f Tarlan o n tchurce I t Andrewsth .S o f t dho Morguny b , d Ear Marf lo , made betwee yeare nth s 1163-1171 Eare th , l recount subjecte sth s of -whic monke hth s wer drao et tithese wth , includin e rentgth s pai himo dt n i . hides, corn, cheese, meal, malt, marts, sheep, swine game d e alsan H , o. con- firms to the monks a piece of ground belonging to the church of Tarland, with importane th t additio mila f no l upo. nit It would appear, from the alluvial deposits and other circumstances, that, in remote times, the bottom of the valley had been covered by water, which pro- bably by some violent change had at last forced an egress to the south, and joine e rivedth r e hilDeeTh l .whic h bound westere sth n sid f Cromaeo s ri the lofty Morven, apostrophised by Lord Byron as " Morven of snows." On southe th districe ,th divides i t d from Deesid ranga y eb e includin hille gth f so Culbleen, Mulloch Gelland an , naturaA . l openin n thigi s direction conducts the road to from the south through, the moor of Culbleen, on which a skirmish was fought between David Earl of Athole and Sir Andrew Murray, in 1335, as related by Wyntoun. Prom the minute account of this affair pre- ANTIQUARIES OF . 259 served by the poet, as well as from existing remains, it is plain that the now "barren moor was then covered with a forest of oaks. On the east side e moooth f r liee loc f Canmoreth so h islandso whicn i tw , e t leasha ar , t par- tially artificial, on the westmost of which stood a tower, attributed by tradition Malcolo t m Keamnor founders it s ea . Some enormous rafter "blacf so k oak, ori- ginally use girdinr dfo g togethe drawbridg a e islande r fabrith th fo r f r o co , e o connect t witi tland e hth , wit e rudhth e mortisings whic joined hha d them, e seewerb no t edurin g last summe a cottag margie e locht th a rth n f ,eo no where als s preservei o bronza d e vessel resemblin ga coffee-pot , whics hwa e watere toweth Th f o fishe.r t afforde ou de fugitive th f do e sheltes on o t r from Kilblene Wyntous a , n says,— " Sohyr Robert Meyhneis til Canmore AVent, quhar wonnane eh d wes before; Thidder he went, and in a pele He sawfyt hym and his menyhe welle." On one of the frequent pilgrimages which James IV. made to the shrine of St Duthac, at Tain, this tower received the wandering monarch within its walls, antreasurer'e dth s accounts preserv expense eth f "eo trussin king'e gth s dogs e boatth ,n i whe wene nh Canmore,o t paymena f boatmae o th d o t "an r nfo carrying them across. Ther s alsei o entr paymena f maye o th no t t"quh a beforn King'prufie Do eth e th ts grace, rous hi tn northward"o , whe rivee nth r probabl beed yha floodn n i . In the sixteenth century, the " mansion of Loch Cawnmoir" occurs in the investitures of the estates, and it was a house of defence in the time of the Great Eebellion. wesd an t p Alonsid to f Mullach eo e gth eastward an ,Scaue th Auchf y o rdb - terfoul n almosa s i , t continuous rang f cairnseo , som f theo e f remarkablmo e size. Tradition will have it, that, while Malcolm Keamnore resided at his loche Danekeee th th ,n pi s landecoaste th n ,do bein leagun gi e with certain traitors who formed members of his court. The king's doorkeeper revealed plote witd king'th e an h,th se enem troopth t t Minnandauinya me s proA . - tracted struggle took place on the Hill of Mullach, and many fell on both sides, over whom the cairns were raised. From thence the Danes fled to the Hill of Mortlich, wher e fighcontinueds th e wa t streamleta d an ; , whic stils hi l called Bleedyburne th sais i , havo dt e derive s namdit e fro blooe mth d o whics n hra plentifully into it on that day. As a reward for his fidelity, the king is said to have rewarded his doorkeeper wit a granh f lando t n Coulli s . Apart from this legend hiso n , -whicf o s i h torical value, it is certain that the great family of Durward were in posses- 260' PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF sion of the eastern division of Cromar at the dawning of our record history, whil westere eth lessed nan r half forme dterritore th parEarle f th o f t f o syo Mar. The family of the Durwards disappears from our history immediately before the days of Bruce; but its memory yet lingers in the country of their early settlement, in the proverbial saying, that the bell of the Kirk of Coull rings of its own accord when a Durward dies. The Durwards' Castle, on a mound close to the parish-kirk, now forms an unshapely mass of rubbish ; but from what is recorded of its appearance in the end of last century, it would appea havo rt e resemble plan di castlee nth f Kildrummo s Done d th n an ,y o Caerlaverock on the Solway. Cromarf Tho ew " intersectedHo s "i grea o ridga n y f tb e o height running east and west, called Drummy, connected on the west with a higher conical hill, called Knockargity, " on the top of which," says a writer in Sir James Balfour's . CollectionsMS a stone s "i ,, fro fiv e beholy mth e whicl parisma dal e hon h churche lengts walhi e f t h Cromar,so h kf bu i fro e placd mwayth y an ean e h , cannot see the same." A short way eastward from this mount there are four very large cairns, and numerous smaller ones. The eastern termination of e ridgth s callei e d Tomnaverie seee remainb e o nth o n whict tw o ,f e o sar h circle largf so e erect stones. On the slopes which run down from the bounding hills, formerly referred to, int valleye oth , several ancient remains have bee nfare found Knowf th m o n O . - head , e north-easinth t districtcornee th f o r , another circl f uprigho e t stones formerly existed, which is now destroyed,. About 400 yards farther down the e far th f Culshm o n o e undergrounslope th d , an , d chamber, hereaftee b o t r described, was found. Westward from Knowhead is another projecting spur running from the main ridge, rounded on the top, and called the Doune. Here were numerous cairn f variouo s s sizes l surroundeal , y oned b dan , sometimes two concentric circles of stones, which projected a little above the surface. In most of those which have been opened, a grave was found, com- posed of flagstones about 4 or 4J feet long by 2 in breadth. In only one of the anythins mwa g found thered an , , onl yf burn o part n f ats ur o nclay n O . e westh te Dounslopth f o ee there remained, till .lately e circlth ,f stoneo e s whic surrounded hha cairda n afte stonee lattee th beed rth f ha rso n removed, stone th ed coffian • n whic s centrbeed it hha n i e also remained, surmountey db a blue boulder of immense size. Descending from the Doune towards the vil- lage of Tarland, and on a rocly eminence, there stood, till lately, a circle of upright stones, and near to it were found a few well-preserved arrow-heads of flint, along with a stone celt. Another circle of upright stones stood about a quarter of a mile to the westward of this position. ANTIQUARIE1 26 SCOTLANDF SO . varioun I s districe partth f so t were found square-shaped hollows greao n f o ,t size earte th , h scoope whicf o t hdou forme smalda l bounding fence. They were pavebottoe th n dmi with stones, under which mosn i , t caseslayea s ashesf ro ,wa . These inclosures receive name dth "f eo Picts ' Houses" fro countre mth y people, and appear to have occurred all over the country. " On the farm of Cairnmore of Blelack," says the minister of Logy Coldstane, in his Statistical Account, " has been discovered parpavea f o t d roa considerablf do e width. hollowa Nea s i t i r , whic Pictsknows e namhe i th th f y e'o n b Howe removinn I . gstonee parth f to s which forme pavemente dth , numerous piece f charreo s d wood were foun- be d neath e soutthem.th n h O slop" f Drummo e y occur a vers y small circlf eo upright stones, and it appears that these were also frequent in the district. On the south slope of Knockargity is a large cairn among the cultivated land, and westware th o t thif do s cair nsquare occurreth f eo e inclosuredon s just referred to, which was trenched up some years ago. In the course of this operation were found two stone cups, or ladles, resembling those dug up from a paved way near a circle of stones at Tullynessle in , in 1838, now in the Society's Museum. One of the large cairns in Drummy was opened in the cours f laseo t summer gravo n s found t ewa bu , . This, however havy ma ,e arisen fro e searcmth t havinno h g bee thoroughlo ns y complete exposo t s da e centree caire th th f no where deposits generally were found. On the farm of Culsh there occurred another paved inclosure, and in it was found the small striped bead or button now exhibited. Near to this inclosure was found a grave formed of six flags brought from the Hill of Ledlick, at some dis- tance grave Th . e pare mus f th soi e rocko te t th a l tth s havf a ,o t e ou bee t ncu the field where it occurs is very shallow, and on a bed of rock. In the parish of Logy Coldstane, which form e norther f th Cromarso d e manen n ar , y cairns, some of them of very great size. Two farms in the parish have received their name of Cairnmore from the abundance of these remains upon them. There are likewise several circles of upright stones in the parish; and at the farm of Mill of Newton may be seen one of those upright stones with symbolic figures cut on its surface, which occur along the east coast of Scotland, but are rarely inlanr founfa o thi s ds de a adjoinin sth onen I . g paris f Aboyneho canoea , , formed of a single block of oak, was dug out of the peat-moss at Drumduan, on the south side of the loch of Auchlossan, about the year 1838, but it was soon destroyed. n undergrounA d chambe s discovere wa re far th f m Culsho n o d , abouo tw t miles distant fro churce mth Tarlandf ho ,presenc y whic m cleares n i h wa t edou in the month of August last, and which I shall now endeavour to describe. The cave occurs on a slope, the -entry to it being so contrived as not to at- 2 26 _ PROCEEDING E SOCIETTH F SO F YO tract notice. Its extreme length is about 47 feet, it is curved in shape, and closely resemble forn si chambee mth r near Newstead, Roxburghshire, described and figured by Dr Smith, in the Proceedings of the Society, vol. i. p. 213, Its e entrwidtth s about yi ha feet2 t , increasing graduall t recedei n s a ya o t s average widt circula a f abou ho f o extreme feet6 s ti Th r shape.d e een Th . •height from the floor, which is on' solid rock, increases from 5 feet near the entry to an average height of about 6 feet towards the other end. The walls are formed of boulders of various sizes, and they converge as they rise upwards, the cave being about a foot narrower at the roof than at the base of the walls. walle th placee f sar o p d to larg Oe heavd nth e an y slab f ston so roofa e s eth a , whole being covered over with earth, so as to harmonise with the surrounding surface welo s thiS ha ls. been done onls , thaywa t fro ti protrudin e mth f go e coverinth on f o e gs consequen it slabs d an , t removal, tha cavdise s th t- ewa covered fillefoune s . b wa do openeWhes t d t i nearly-,t wa , p t ni dto up e oth with what appeared to be a rich unctuous earth, resembling that of a church- yard more tha ordinare nth countryye th soi f o l . Analysit earte no th d f hdi so e processe th marke y r Clarkf leao D an e y o dt sb ,d on Professo resultn i t bu ; r of Chemistr t Marischaya l College, Aberdeen t appearei , d that trace f adio s - pocire were present e eartremoves e farmeTh e usewa hb th .s a dy o t db r manure, and there were about thirty cartloads of it. At a spot on the floor, about IS feet fro e entrymth , were found fragment urnn a f , o s several pieces of bones, apparently thosquantita , f aeo nox f smootyo h pebbles quernso tw , , and a mass of ferruginous matter, which appeared to have undergone the action of fire. Portion exhibitedw no f thes o se ar elarga s wel a ,s a le bead, which was found among the earth when it was in the course of being spread on the field. A large quantity of charcoal was mixed with the earth from the entrance spoe toth t wher relice eth s were found. I have recently heard fro Bossr mM intelligene th , t facto Lorr rfo d Aberdeen in Cromar, that, on a farm adjoining to Culsh, a spot has been observed which, from its hollow sound when trode upon, seems to be the site of another cave. Mr Douglas, the tenant of Culsh, who has taken a kind interest in making the discovery on his farm available, reports to me, that in going through the cairns on Mulloch, on the farm of Corsefold, parish of Coull, already referred to, he has discovered another cave resembling the one at Culsh in shape and general plan. It was in ruins ; but on partially clearing it out, five querns were found in it. Around this cave was a circular inclosure, where cattle might have been kept. Subterranean chambers, apparentl similaa f yo r character, have been opened differenn i t part f Scotlando s descriptionr fo , f whico s Caledonia,e se h vo. i l ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. 263 p. 97 ; Martin's Western Islands, pp. 67, 87, 154, &c. A great many under- ground houses were discovered at , in the county of Aberdeen, and have been described by Professor Stuart, in the Archwologia Scotica,, vol. ii. p. 53. It seems likely that the inclosures there described correspond with those paved inclosure Croman si r already adverte. dto followine Th g accoun anothef to r underground building, whic discoveres hwa d at Drumnahoy, on the estate of Castle Fraser, in Aberdeenshire, was furnished proprietore th y b e tom , Colonel Fraser t wili observede d b l an ; , tha plas it t n and size almost entirely correspond with the one at Culsh. caverne s entrance"it Th t a , s aboui , fee3 t t feehig2 inchey 2 th b s wide, sidee th s forme f stondo e postspassage Th . e then slopes downward sora y tsb of steps formee gravellth n di y subsoil, gradually widenin r abougfo feet9 t ; and at that distance there is a notch in the wall at each side for doorposts, width 3 feet, and height 5 feet 6 inches; and the floor then runs on a level the whole length of the cave about 51 feet, the width 4 feet, and height 6 feet. e farthet wideni th feetd terminated 6 t en A o an rst , s circularly e sideTh s. rudelye ar t stronglbu , y buil f rougo t h roo beee s stonesth ha fnd formean , f do long stones, or lintels, cemented with clay, as appeared by about 12 feet of the roof that remained entire whole Th abous e.i inche8 t fooa r to s undee th r present surface ground narroth a f d o e an w, sloping ditc patr ho h leads down entrancee toth e situatioTh .a risin s ni g ground, commandin extensivn ga e south-easviethe wto west formand t spuand , the smor of r e elevated groundto the north." On a plan of the estate, made in 1789, a space round this cave is marke s "da Pes t Graves,lefs twa uncultivatedd "an thin i sd spoan ; t human bones have been turned up.

17th April 1854. The KEY. WILLIAM STEVENSON, D.D., Vice-President, in the Chair. The following Gentlemen were elected Fellows :— JOHN STEWAKT, Esq. of Nateby Hall. J. WAKBUKTON BEQBIE, M.D. The Donations to the Museum and Library were— Various Relics, consistin severaf go l Stone Vessels, Bone Imple- 4 26 PROCEEDING SOCIETE TH F F SO Y O ments and Combs, Bronze Tweezers, Iron Weapons, &c. found in Pict'a s House t Kettleburna , e countth n f Caithnessi ,yo . A y b : HENRY RHIND, Esq., F.S.A. Scot. Two Skulls from the precincts of the Ancient St Roque's, Canaan : by WILLIAM IVORY, Esq., W.S. Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Vol. 5 ; Sixth Annual Repor Regente th Smithsoniae f to th f so n Institution SMITHe th y b : - SONIAN INSTITUTION, Washington, N.S. America. Archa^ologia, Vol. 35; Part I.: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Nos. 32 to 36; List of Fellows of the So- ciety of Antiquaries of London; Catalogue of Roman Coins collected e latth ey Revb . Thomas Kerrich e SOCIETth y b : Y OF ANTIQUARIES LONDONF O . The Communications were—