IX. INSCRIBED STONE KIBKMADKINET SA PARISE TH STONEYF N HI ,O - KIKK, COUNT WIGTONF YO y ARTHUB . R MITCHELL, M.D., COMMIS- SIONER IN LUNACY, V.P.S.A. SCOT., ETC. (PLATES XXXIX. AND XL.) Some years ago, while in the parish of Stoneykirk, I found myself iu neighbourhooe th burial-ground ol e th f do f Kirkmadrinedo d havinan , g an interest in old things, I embraced the opportunity of paying it a visit. When climbing over the gate, I observed that there was a figure and an inscriptio stone th en no pilla whicn o r figure hungs h Th iwa tI e . recognised as one which I had seen in the Catacombs at Rome, and the inscription, which was easily read, appeared to me of remarkable interest. I knew r sculptureenougou f ho d stoneimmediatele b o st y aware thaI t falled somethinha n no g counterparo whicn d hha t anywhere els Scotn ei - land, and the existence of which was unknown to those who had given attentio suco nt h subjects. turninn O g round after completin gcarefua l examinatio f thino s pillar, I found thaothee th t r pillar o whict , e gathth esimilaa felld ha , r figuro on it, and also what appeared to be a continuation of the inscription. ON INSCRIBED STONES AT KIRKMADRINE. 569

I made rough sketche f boto s h pillars d transmittean , dr theSi o mt James Simpson, who, after consultation wit r StuarthD - ex ,e wenth o t t pense of sending Mr Henry Laing to make plaster casts of them, and these are now in the Museum. After finding these two pillars, I searched for other objects of interest, t discoverehu d nothing excep brokea t n sculptured slab, which serves a d a stepping-stone over a dyke by the side of the road leading up to the burial-ground. It is roughly represented in fig. 4, Plate XXXIX. I also called on some of the small farmers, who lived near Kirkmadrine, to ascertain if they had ever heard of other sculptured or inscribed stones having existed in the burial-ground. I learned little from them, except that there had once been a third stone not unlike the two I found, and that it had been taken away to make a lintel to some farm building, the situatio whichf no abls , indicatehowevero ewa t e on o .n , Nex agaid t yeaha n I r occasio ie nb Stoneykirko t n I too d kan , the opportunity of carefully examining the buildings of the neighbouring farmsteads; and, rememberin gfound thae so-calleha th dI t d rein-deer stone as the cope of a pig-stye, I thought no building too mean for examina- thisearchy n tiono s M s occasion. , wa however t i vainn i t 1 ,s bu ; wa , think, that I found a fragment of a sculptured stone which had been graveyare th turne n i p ddu itselfbuil whicw d no an t, ints hi e wall oth . The rough sketc hI mad f thieo s ston s gives i ei . 570 t p I n fig, ni .1 . probably sufficiently accurate to indicate the character of the sculpture. I then inquired whether there was no old person in the parish who had shown an affection for the relics of a bygone time, but I heard of no one. Mention, however, was often made of Mr William Todd, an d schoolmasteol e neighbourinth n i r g paris f Kirkmaideno h d ha o wh , been a correspondent of the late Mr M'Diarmid of the Dumfries Courier, and who was then living on his pension in Drumore. Next morning I had an, opportunit d eve f ha callino y r I e aske h n himd o gf i an d, seen, and if he remembered anything of the two stones at Kirkmadrine. " There are three," he at once said, " I have often seen them and remem- ber them well." I assured him that there were only two now, but told heardd hiha m I from other thirda f so . After some reflection assuree h , d me that what I had been told was correct; that he had once—about 50 years ago—made a drawing of them, and that it was possible he had the 570 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , JUNE 10, 1872. drawin gpossessions desstilsend hi s ol n li k wa t n forA ,. and amone gth paper t containei s foldee d on ther s d ewa lik letterea , brow stained nan d wit n thi founho e sw e agedrawing d th d an , e threth f eso stones, which are exactly copied in figs. 1, 2, and 3 of Plate XL. Fig. 3 represents the missing stone, which, likwell-knowe otherse th eth s ha , n monogram enclosed in a circle, and below it the words INITIUM ET FINIS.

1. Sculptured stone built into the wall of the Graveyard at Kirkmadrine.

Thes efairly drawingma y e infe w rudee substantiae t sar th r bu , l accu- racy of the sketch of the third and lost stone from the accuracy of the sketches of the other two, which we can still compare with the originals, as carefully f Plato depicte 2 e d XXXIX figsan n di 1 e onl. Th y . mis- take Mr Todd appears to have made is in substituting an E for an M at the end of INITIUM. I assume this to be an error in his drawing. ON INSCRIBED STONE KlHKMADKINET 1 SA 57 .

The writing on the three stories, when put together, forms a con- tinuous narrative, beginning with a ET to and ending with INITIUM ET FINIS. It runs thus :—

fT l E A HICJACENT SCI ET PR^E CIPUI SACEB DOTE ESD SI T VIVENTIUS MAVOBIUT E S ....T E S . FLOREN TIUS INITIUM ET FINIS

f Plat o I hav p eto e XXXIXe giveth t na exac e th . t words whice ar h writteTodr M d y subjoib nw ove drawingss no hi r I n d soman , e notes which are also written by him on the same sheet of paper, and which, though they do not manifestly relate to the Kirkmadrine stones, may possibly prov f valueo connection ei n with them thes a , y refe antiquio t r - ties in the same or in the adjoining parishes.

" Kilachie, a field on the farm of Cregach, near Portpatrick, supposed burd ol yn ing-grounda e b o t , fro stonee mth s tha standine ar t , somit n gei of which appear to have had letters upon them, but time has defaced them; some of these stones were taken from this place for building in the year 1818. The workmen came to a cave" (cist) "covered with flat stones, which they lifted, and found in it a skull and thigh bones of a human person of more than ordinary size; there was also a cup" (urn) " beside the skull, with a little water in it. The late Mr Blair of Dunskey got the cup from the workmen.

" Clendrie, a farm in the parish of Inch. There was a round mound of stones, commonly called a cairn, on this farm, and as some people were removing the stones for building in the year 1818, they came to a place 572 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10; 1872. it uformei d lik a ecMst with large flat stones, which they raisedd an , found in it a human skull and a Roman urn, with some ashes in it. The Kev. Jame fron sworkmene ur Ferguson ms presentth e wa th t o go ,wh , and the late Earl of Stair got it from him."

" Names of Farms, Hills, -Fields, $c. Altiery farma , , Mochrum. Kilantringan farma , , Portpatrick. Craigolive, a hill near Craiglive House, Portpatrick. Milgarva, a hill, Portaspittle, S. Kirk. Craignicore, a hill, Mark, Leswalt. . do . Barraylawydo . do , Ballochcappery, do. do. Tachraggan Knocknain, do. Tarmassack do. do. Altiehip, a field, Macherwhatt, Colmonell."

." Balmennoch, formerly a farm in the parish of Inch, but about the 1 year 1792 this form farw divideds no mwa e s t i th d parpar f f an ,o o tt farm of Meikle Lochans, and the other part is that which is now called Mount Pleasant. There were on this farm six large stones standing in a circular form, commonly called the standing stones of Balmennoch. But betwee e yearnth s 176 d 1770 0an e Eevr Douglasth , M . t thaa , t time Seceder ministe n Stranraeri r , rente e far dth f Littlm o e Loehansd an , being in need of stones for building, sent some workmen to take down these stonesthes a yd weran , e employe takinn di g down these monuments of antiquity camn theo ma littlet a ,tol d d mdan eol meddl o thet t mno e with these stones, and likewise he told theifo that the person that was buildin e housgth e would never enjo . it yThe y pai attentioo n d o nt wha saide t wenh t lefwitbu n ,n o t hma the d theims ol a re workth d an , he came, they not knowing when he came or when he went, hut Mr Douglas died before the house was finished."

I have been minute in telling the history of my search after the lost the.discoverf stoneo orden i d , an ,rto thad le tt y i th n sketce valuth f eho ON INSCRIBED STONES AT KIRKMADRINE. 573

of it, which we now possess, may he clearly understood. The two stones at Kirkmadrine are prohahly the oldest written records of Christianity whic e gooth h d d firse exis o fortunha th t t Scotlandn e I i t h s a o t e d an , bring them into notice desiroum a I , s thar knowledgou t e thirth df eo should be regarded as satisfactory. In order to show that I do not overrate the interest which antiquaries and ecclesiologists attach to these monuments, I need only quote what Bean Stanley say"s thef Lecturehi so Histore mn i Churc e th th n sf o yo h in Scotland," London ,. 1872"25 Nowher . p , n Greai e t Britain,e "h writes, " is there a Christian record so ancient as the grey weather-beaten column which now serves as the gate-post of the deserted churchyard of Kirkmadreen e bleath e n Einne centrko , th th hil Gallowayf n f i so leo , bearind s batterean it n o g d surfac n lettere i fourte th f so h centure yth statement that it had marked the graves of three saints of Gallic name, Elorentius, Vincentius, and Mavorius. Few, very few, have been the travellers that have reached that secluded monument t stan;i lony dgma firse asth t authentic trac f Christiaeo n civilisatio n thini s island.e Th " beaut f thiyo s allusion make t i eass overlooo yt s mankit y inaccuracies. Yet whe I nfirs d rememberet an rea , it d diligeny m d t e searcth r fo h missing third wit s stone hwa feelina t i , f paio g n tha I tfoun Deae th d n speaking of the two well-known stones as one "grey, weather-beaten column," begetting a fear that another lintel had been needed in the neighbourhood,—a fear whic onls hywa relieve observiny db s g hi tha n o t single colum inscriptione nth botf so h stones occurred. Kirkmadrine Th ee firs stoneth t r e Haddan'givear sM n i n s " Lisf o t Sepulchral Christian Inscribed Stone othed san r Monument Scottisn i s h and English Cumbria, A.D. 450-900." As his notice of them is brief, I give it in full:— " Fifth century.—At Kirkmadrine f Luceo y , , wesBa e t th sid f o e county Wigton; thre churchyard eol stonee th n si d :— " a. On one beneath the monogram ( -f) enclosed in a circle (which is also on the other face of the stone),

HIC JACENT SCI ET PEAECIPUI SACERDOTES ID EST VIVENTIU MAVORIUST SE .

" And above the monogram A ET O. 574 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

'• b. On the second (Avhich has alike monogram within a circle), partly obliterated, ..... S ET FLOEENTIUS.

thire s tracery Th inscriptiono d ha n . '• e 't bu , . " The character of the letters and ornaments carries these inscriptions back to a still Romanised time, and also bears a resemblance to Gaulish monuments of the kind. They are probably of the fifth century, and belong to priests connected with St Ninian himself, and through him with north-west Gau!e EomaTh . n characte e nameth f o rs also tallies with this."l By far the best and fullest account of these monuments, however, which appearedt ye s ha whicr o , likels hi y soo appearo nt thas i ,Joh y b t n Stuart, LL.D., in the second volume of " The Sculptured Stones of Scotland " (Notice platese th f . 35)so p , . Wit permissios hhi reproduces i t ni d here. The figures referred to in it are 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Plate XXXIX., which have been lithographed drawingsfrow mne . Whe r StuarnD t 'wrots ehi learned notice e sculptureth , d fragment, fig, pag1 t .bee eno n570d ha , discovered existence th three d th an ,f eeo sketche Toddr M y s,b including e missinth g s unknownthirwa d, 3) ston .d ean (Plat, . 2 figs , XL 1 e. These fresh discoverie d interes s noticead shi t theo t tbu , yo n lea o t d modification of anything he has said. " The parish of Stoneykirk, lying on the west side of the bay of Luce, comprehend three sth parished eol f Stoneykirko s , Clachshant d Tosan , - kerto Kirkmadrinenor churcold ruinan h The remaisof .far the mnon of Clayshank e churchyarth d an , f Kirkmadrindo stils ei l preservea s da burial-ground. This suppressed parish is called Kirkmadin by Chalmers, under the belief that it was dedicated to St Medan, and that ' Madrine' merels i ycorrupa te saint'forth f mo s name.2 " Another suppressed parish of Kirkmadrine, now included in the parish of Sorbie, is supposed by Chalmers in the same way to have been a dedication to St Medan.3 " There seems, however, to be no sufficient foundation for this assump-

1 Councils and Eccles. Documents. Edited by A. ~W. Haddan, B.D., and "William Stubbs, M.A. Oxford, 1873, p. 51. 2 Caledonia, vol. iii. p. 439. 3 Ibid., p. 429. ON INSCRIBED STONES AT KIRKMADEINE. 575

tion. Iii the year 1567 we fiiid among the parishes of Galloway one calle ' Kirkmadryne,d ' althoug t hdoei t appea no s r above whicth f eho parishes is referred to.1 " In. Bleau's Atlas the first of the above churches occurs under the form of Kirk Makdrym secone th d s Kirda an , k Mackdry. Symson calle sth last church ' Kirkmadroyn.'2 " In the recent map of the Ordnance Survey both churches are given under the name of ' Kirkmadrine.' neighbourin"o Thertw e ear g churches dedicate t Medanf S o o e dt on , which is now included in the parish of Glasserton, and is known as ' Kirkmaiden in Femes;' the other is the parish of 'Kirkmaiden in Rinns.' e Eegisteth n I f Ministero r s just quoted these parishe e enterear s s a d 4 Kirkmade Fairness,n ni ' Kir d kan 'Madi Rynnis,n ni ' whil Bleaun ei , formee t dow ' Kirth se s s a nlattei kre th Maide s e Sea,a rd th an 'n o n ' Kirk Madin.' " Chalmers, on the assumption that the parish of Kirkmadrine, now united to Sorbie, is really Kirkmaiden, supposes that an entry in the treasurer's account offerinn a f s o f 18sgo . mad Kiny eb g Jame . 'isnIV Sanct Medan's Kirk' in. August 1506, applie thio st s Kirkmaide fot rbu n; this he has no authority. e stoneth f "sO figure thi n harda do s s i plate,,1 rounde. No 3 d block of whinstone. The letters of the inscription are distinctly cut. The monogram, with enclosin n broai g t circledcu shallos i , w line botn so h faces of the stone. stona s exactlf i eo 3 . "yNo similar character t mucbu , h more word nan destroyed, and the letters of the inscription are cut in a ruder and more irregular manner. These monuments were brought into notice a few years r ArthuD ag y ob r Mitchell castd thean f , so m have been presentee th o dt National Museum of the Antiquaries of Scotland by Professor J. Y. Simpson. They are of a character entirely different from any others in Scot- land, and have a good deal in common with many of the sepulchral inscrip- tion ' Inscription n si s Chretienne Gaula l e sd e anterieure viiix esau siecle.'4

1 Register of Ministers, p. 50, Mait. Club. Edin., 1830. 2 Descriptio Gallowayf no . Edin.44 . p , , 1823. 3 Plate LXXI. of Dr Stuart's work. r EdmonPa 4 d le Blant. Paris, 1856, 576 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

"The first slab has on both faces a monogram of the name of Christ formed of the Greek letters X and P within a circle. In one of the circles1 are the Greek letters Alpha and Omega (A ET 12), the last letter being nearly effaced mads i . X eHer uprighte thin i th e sd s shapi an ,t i ' e almost equally common with that borne upo labarume nth Constantinf o e on which the X is of the usual form. It is also of equal antiquity with it, instances of its use occurring both on the wall paintings and inscrip- Catacombe tionth f so f Borneso upod e smalan , nth l lamps e founth n di gravee earlth f yso Christians. t occurI ' n botsi h forms withoud an , a t circle, on many of the early monuments of Gaul figured in the work of Bant. It is found on many coins of the early Christians, and it was the subject of delineation throughout the Eoma-Byzantine period. It is pre- fixed to many of our early-charters, and it occurs on the inscribed stone t Jarroa w recordin dedicatioe gth churce t Pauth S f f nlo o h e ther th n ei year 685.2 verA " y remarkable instanc recordes ei Westwoor M y ds occurb it f do - earle th yf o inscribe e rencon n eo d stone f Wales- so in whicn e o , th s hi scription, CAEAVSIVS HI CONGERIEC JACIHO N I T S LAPIDUM, from whict hi is plain, that the pillar had been set on a cairn. Above the inscription is the labarum without the circle. This is the only known instance of its stona usn eo e monumen r WestwooWalesn i tM d an , d regard s occursit - rence as an evidence of the great antiquity of the inscription.3 It has not bee nothey founan rn do Scotc h monument. " The inscription on the first stone reads, HIC IACBNT sci ET PILECIPUI SACEBDOTES ID EST vivENTivs ET MAvoEivs. That on the second pillar is partly obliterated. What remains reads—s ET FLOEENTIVS. The style of s muc Fd ha commo sucn i an h , h M letter , nE wits sa hearle thath f yo t inscribed stone Walesn i s , which have been called Eomano-Britisht i s a , resembles them also in the occasional combination of two letters, when mads i e foro lime et on mth f next.be o parth f o t4 frequene "Th t occurrenc e labarum th monumente f th o e n o f Gaulso ,

1 By mistake for—Above one of the circles. 2 Mr Westwood in Arch. Cambr., July 1863, pp. 255, 256. Kemble's Codex Diplom. Anglo-Saxon, . vol145 p . . Mabillo.i ,&c B e , 161ned 85 Diplom , . 67 . .pp 3 Arcb. Cambreusis, July 1863 . 215,pp , 256.

Arch. Cambrensis, passim. 4 ON INSCRIBED STONE KIEKMA.DEINET 7 SA 57 . and in the Catacombs, suggests that its exceptional occurrence in Scotland may have arisen from foreign influence. It will be boine in mind that Ninian, the first Christian missionary to Northern Britain, erected his churc stonf ho Whithornt ea spo a ,mant tno y miles distant fro site mf th eo the monuments in question. We know that Ninian, after his consecration Romet a desirous ,wa seeinf so t MartingS greae th , t luminar Westerf yo n Christendom d accordinglan , y visited that sain s homet Toura hi t n so - ward route from Rom Britaino t e s establishmenHi . t Whithoa t - min clude dmonastera probabls wels churcha ya wa s a l d yan , framee th n do mode f thao l t seed whic t ha Toursa n e countre yout e hth h Th f .ho y were sent to Whithorn for their education, and the institution of St Ninian chie e continueth f o ecclesiasticafamoue e b on o dt s sa l schoolf so t Ninian trusS y lif e f eo ma th t e Britain, w writte e twelftf I th .n ni h century by Ailred of Rievaux, but professing to be founded on an ancient book of his life and miracles which was ' barbaric scriptus,' the saint brought with him from Tours masons who could build for him a church of stone in a country where stone churches were unknown. " If we should suppose that through the connection between him and St Marti nbrethree somth f eo f Tourno s were induce caso dt n thei i t t rlo with Ninia attemps hi n i establis o t t Christiae hth n religion amons ghi pagan countrymen, and that they founded a church dedicated to Math- urinus, another great saint of Gaul, and contemporary with St Martin, predeceaseo wh abouy b yearsn m te t dmighhi e ,w t more readily accounr tfo the occurrence of these peculiar monuments, and of the two Scotch dedi- cations to the Gaulish saint in the neighbourhood of Whithorn. It would likewise accoun r sucfo t h classical name s Viventiusa s , Mavoriusd an , Morentius, which are not uncommon in early lists of continental names. The feast of St Mathurin was celebrated on the 9th of November, and, ac- cording to a local account furnished to Professor Simpson, a fair at Kirk- madrine was formerly held on the 22d of November, or on the Tuesday after it. " The pillars, when observed by Dr Mitchell, were used as gate-posts in burying-grounde walle th th f so . Ther s ereasoi believo nt r eo thae on t more similar pillars have been removed and used for building purposes. The fragment (No. 2) was found by Mr Gibb as a stepping-stone in a neighbouring dyke. 578 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

" An account of the parish, written about twenty-five years ago, pro- bably refer theso t s e followinstonee th n i s g notice :—' Kirkmadrine, with its churchyard, still preserved as a burying-place, contains some grave- stones with antique inscriptions.' (N&w Stat. Ac., Wigton., 164.p. ) " The letters of these inscriptions remind us of the style of those on

Fig . Inscribe2 . d Stone near Wliitliorn.

Roman altar tabletsd san . e samSomth f f etheo e o for e mthoss mar a e e curiouoth n s ston t Yarrowa e , represente e Proceedingth n di e th f so Societ f Antiquarieyo f Scotlanso dmonumente . 524)th (volp d . iv .an , s are probabl regardee b o yt amons da e earliesgth t Christian recordw no s remainin Britainn gi . " On the lands of Ardwell, in the parish of Kirkmadrine, are some re- mains of stone circles and 'Pictish Castles.' Two gold 'lachrymatories,' OX INSCRIBED STONE KIEKMADRINET SA . 579

weighing three and a half ounces each, were found on the lands of Garth- land in Stoneykirk in 1783.1 The only other case in which our Saviour's monogram ( -f \ is found on an inscrihed stone in Scotland occurs also in this county, and I had the good fortune to bring this stone also under the notice of antiquaries. It is situated near Whithorn e roa th e sid df th o e leadint e Islea , th ,o t g fare s verclosf th Enochmo ha o y t e d muc an , looe a milestone hth f ko , standing abou tgrounde thre th e sketc f Th eo t fee. h . 578 ou tp (fig , 2 .) is taken from a photograph, and may be accepted as fairly accurate. On the sketch which I made of it in 1863, my first impression is thus recorded :—"If this ston s ancienti e s beeha nt i , roughly squared since

Figs. 3 and 4. Dedication Crosses, Elgin Cathedral.

the ornament was cut; and it is improbable that the lettering is of the e tracery.th s a sam e " ag e This first feeling,—tha inscriptioe th t f o s nwa latea r date tha e figurnth r monogram,—wao e s strengthened when the ston s afterwardewa s t myselexaminedno d f di observI . e additioth e n e figureth o t , which make t i evidens e intendet ar tha e e %p b th t o t d embodied in it. Apart from this, and cutting off what may be called handlee th e figurth , e o havappearet e em somo t d e resemblance th o et so-called crosses of consecration—to those, for instance, which are found e Elgioth n n Cathedral, Phiscardei ie parisAbbeyth d h an ,churc f o h Grail, of which woodcuts are given in figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. The general shape of this stone and the resemblance between the figure on it and the common form of the crosses of dedication, inclined me at 1 New Statistical Account, Wigtonshire, p. 164. 580 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

firs larga regaro t ts a e t di stone , whic d originallha h y forme parda f o t some building,—perhaps of the Abbey at Whithorn,—and on which

Fig. 5. Dedication Cross, Pluscarden Abbey.

the rude inscription had been cut when it was afterwards set up in its present position. But Dr Stuart has shown thaa greatee ston s th t ha e r interesd an t value -than I was led to attach to it, and with his permission I give here the notice of it, which appears in the second volume e Sculpture th s wor hi on f o k d Stones. (Notices Plates,e th f . o 53)p . "The Cross-slab" (Plate Ixxvii. of his work) " stands on the high ground above the town of Whithorn, on the side of the Fig. 6. Dedication Cross, Parish Churc Grailf ho . road leading towards the Isle of Whithorn. s aboui t I t foun ri fee o n heighi tw t y b t breadth s originaIt . l sithav y s unknowni e ema beet i t n bu ,place t da ON INSCRIBED STONES AT KIBKMADBINE. 581

' Chape hill, e e th th n ' o lwher e King offerings Jamehi f . mado se IV s eon whe pilgrimagn i t NiniaS o et 1506n i . face e crosa "O th e uppes f i snth so withie r on par f ncirclea o t , with followine th g inscription curiously arranged lettern i , s obviousl earlf yo y date, and resembling the inscriptions on the ancient Welsh stones— ' Loo ITI PETRI APVSTOLI.' The monogram is added to the upper limb of righe crose th th n t so hand regarde,e b whic y anothes ma hda r evidence of the early date of the monument. The occurrence of the monogram on e pillarth t Kirkmadrinsa s beeha e n already noticed. Excep thesn i t e t twbeeye o n t instanceobserveno s ha ant n si do y other Scotch monu- ment. e stoneth smalf A o , likp l to hole e thosmads ei th n eeo e founth n do crosse t Bewcastlsa Eothburyd ean . " We are told by Fordun * that in the year 1260, a cross of great mag- t Peeblesa e populap u Th .g ficencdu r d s belie ha s tha wa et wa i ft been hid in the times of persecution in the second century. The stone on whic e crosth h e sfollowin th reste d ha d g inscription—Locur (o s Loeulus) Sancti Nicholai Episcopi."'2 Dr Stuart gives the inscription on the Enoch stone as LOC ITI PETRI APUSTOLI doe o s e photograp th sd an , h from whic e sketchth h given ni this pape I thin takes t i r bu k n; there mus some b t e greater uncertainty about the I which follows the G than his drawings or the photograph originashowy m s a , le inscriptiocopth f yo n runs, LOC STI PETRI APVSTOLI or Locus Sancti Petri Apustoli. Dr Stuart says that the letters are ' obviousl f earlo y y I accepdate, d s opinioan hi 't s correcta n , though I confes somo t s e difficult n believini y g that thei rt simpl forno ms i y a debased one, suc s migha h t result from wan f educatioo t e th n i n t thempersocu o . nwh

In the wall of the mill at Drumore, in Kirkmaiden, the parish to the south of Stoneykirk, there is built a rough undressed stone with singular figure t o. ntwelvr it cu Somo s n ete I madyear o ruba ag es .

1 Forduni Scotichron., vol. ii. p. 96. 2 Locus pro sepulchro seu loco sepulcliri occurrit passim in vet. inscriptionibus. Locitlus, Feretru cadaveo qu mn i r mortui deponitur.—Du Canye, apud verbos. 582 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

bin severad gan l sketche e latte f th thio sf copie s i rso stonee n i d On . the woodcut which follows. Mr Todd, the old gentleman in whose possession I found the drawing of the missing Kirkmadrine stone, and who resided at Drumore, in- forme thae dm t this ston d beeha e n built int e walmila oth f o l older than the one now existing, that still further back it had been built into the wall of the old Parish Church, and that in his young days it was hela superstitiou n di s veneration I notic. t herei e becaus place eth n ei

—Y~^" |—^"v "

Fig. 7. Stone built into the wall of the mill at Drumore.

which it is found may give it some sort of connection with the remark- able stones at Kirkmadrine, but I have no theory to advance as to the meanin curioue th whicd f go an locallse , figurehar it n yo st whiccu e har regarded as cabalistic. St Medan's Cove, or The Cliapel Co' as it is called, lies between Marypor Easd an t t Tarbet, about four miles from Drumore village th , o et which allusion has just been made. I visited it on the 25th of February thus i .1864- w whasd sa recordean , I journal:ty m n di — e cov e seaside" Th close s calle e th i foob f whath y o o e t t d a ,ma t ON INSCKIBED STONES AT KIRKMADHINE. 583

a cliff. It is, indeed, a sort of triangular rent in the cliff, the base of the triangle being below. The chapel is immediately in front of the cove proper buils i f rougd o t an , h stones bound togethe gooy b r d shell rougo tw e seconhlimee Th th sketches .f do , which follow, showe th s

Fig. 8. Sketch PJau of the Chapel Co' of St Medan. (Roughly to Scale.)

style of the mason-work, and also the entrance from the chapel to the cove itself. This entranc r doorwao e fee4 s ti y hig 2y hb | feet wide, and the wall through which it passes, and which shuts up the cove, is 3-| feet thick. The front wall of the chapel is 4 feet thick. P 2 VOL. ix. PART ii. 584 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , JUN , 1872E10 .

The door there is not complete, but its breadth is 2J feet. The window of the chapel is also in ruin, but it appears to have been a slit about foo1 t wide outsid expandind ean fee4 to g t inside t passei s a , s through the wall. This is indicated by dotted lines on the sketch plan, fig. 8. windoe solth e f eo Th abouws i t 4| feet frogrounde mth . e chapeTh roughls i l y 12J feeu t yo e lefsquare s th e a walt o Th t l . enter is entirely of rock—smooth and perpendicular—one of the faces, in other wordsnaturae th f o , l fissure e oppositTh . e wall als chiefls oi f yo s mori t i erock t unevebu , n tha e righnth t wall—the deficiencier o s irregularities being made up with mason-work. The mouth, of the cove is built up to the height of nearly 15 feet, and this forms the back e chapel e f th chapenearle walo side th f Th e e o f samlo s.th ar y l e height t wha,bu te chape frone standth th f s onlo i f tl o s y abou fee7 t t high. The cove is about 9 feet at its widest and about 12\ feet at its longest. To some extent it is roofed by the rock, but the chapel is entirely roofless. The small opening at the inner end of the cove (1 foot wide by 2 feet high) doet appeano s n inneo a leat r o t dr chamber. o Thern s i e window in the wall which fills up the mouth of the cove and separates it from the chapel. The following sketch, fig. 9, shows the style of the mason-work and the position and character of the doorway. The three famous pools to which the sick resorted on Co' Sunday .—the first Sunday of May—are 60 to 70 feet from the door of the chapel. The cavitiee e rocyar th k n i swithi e marnth f higko h tides, e filledar d witan h sea-water. They hav a esomewha t artificial look. e largesTh circulars i t r nearl o ,fee4 , diameten i t y so fee6 d t deepan r , s callei d dan The, Body Pool. Tradition says that persons labouring tinder internal or constitutional disorders bathed in it in the hope of obtaining thereby a cure. It was thought peculiarly efficacious in the cases of Back-gane Bairns. The water of the smallest pool, also circular, 6 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep, was that used when the applicant for a cure had sore e otheeyesTh r. pool, intermediat n sizei e , abou fee2 t t foo1 lon y t gb broad irregulan a , r triangle calles Kneee wa , dTh Pool, nama e indicating the "disorders under which those bathing in it laboured. The chapel was frequented on the first Sunday of May, old style. My ON INSCRIBED STONES AT KIRKMADEINE. 585

guide, an old man of seventy-four, remembers when 20 to 30 people were always to be found there on that day, hut he says that they were not the youne th sickhealth d t gan bu , searcn yi f companho saye fund H yan s . tha o placee neveh t e wh leas e th dr ton kne faity wan washinn h i r o g bathin thesn gi e pool than o s t e daytellhowever, H me s. , that those who then visited the spot always made a show of leaving some oifering

Fig . Sketc9 . Buildinf fighn o i .B 8A . t ga

at the wells or in the chapel—a rag, a button, a nail, or a coin. He assures me that the place is not resorted to now either on that or on any other day. The path, however, which leads from the top of the cliff to the chapel, and to no other place, is well trodden, and I found one offering—a rag—naile chapele wale th th f o lo dt . Ther mane ar e y entriejournay m n sn referenci i l receno t e t cuttings on ston t placea e f populao s r resortI hav d ean ,recorde d tha I tfoun d 586 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 10, 1872.

them numerou t Medan'S t sa s Chapel followinge Th . instancer fo , s wa , roce th deeplkn :o —wel d t yan cu l

Fig. 10. Cut on the rook at St Medan's Chapel.

Reading from righ lefo t t this resolves itself into Chilielmus Mounsey— perhaps a wag of a mason, who favours us also with his mark. On a stone of the chapel itself, a man, said to be living in the neighbourhood at the time of my visit, has cut his name in characters which exhibit a peculiar debased form.

I conclude these notes with another extract from my journal, referring also to the same district. " The bell of the parish church of Kirkmaiden bears on it the follow- ing inscription :—Nicolaius Ramsa Dominus de Dalhuissi me fieri fecit AnoMillesimoDm quingentesimo xxxiii. IHS Maria Ihone Morison." This Nicholas Eamsay was the grandfather of the first Earl of Dalhousie. Proceeding Societe Ih f f Antiquarieso yo f Scotlanso d. Vol. IX. Plate XXXIX.

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SCULPTURE NI E R D M K A R I DK T STOA S NE IN THE PARISH OF STONEYKIRK. Proceeding f tho s e Societ f Antiquarieo y f Scotlano s d. Vol IX PlatL X e

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HICIAC E NT ^CIETPPAE CIRVISACER DOTESID.ES IA/ITI VIVEKT8 IV &AAA/OR\V S R E T

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FAC-SIMILE OF M? TO DOS SKETCHES OF STONES AT KIRKMADRINE.