II. E REPORSTONTH N EO T CIRCLE F NORTH-EASTERO S N SCOTLAND, CHIEFLY IN AUCHTERLESS AND FORGUE, WITH MEASURED PLANS AND DRAWINGS, OBTAINED UNDER THE GUNNING FELLOWSHIP. BY FRED. R. COLES, ASSISTANT-KEEPER OF THE MUSEUM. principae Th l area surveyed durin e autumgth f 190no containes 2i d in the large district lying to the north of Inverurie, between Huntly on the west and Strichen on the east. It comprises several parishes; and the geographical e othedistributioth f re o circle th prehistorid f an o sn c remains, taken in contrast with each other, presents interesting points, and may come to offer fresh problems to the archaeologist. Before proceeding, however, to more accurately define the limits of this area, there still exist several remains of more or less importance in the distric south-wese th o t t Kintore—thf o t e district previously reporten do as one so specially rich in megalithic antiquities. For these additional standing stones I am indebted to the observant care of Mr Frank Dey, whose assistanc thin ei s directio nI hav e already partly acknowledged.1 I gladly here make further acknowledgment sufficiene th r ,fo t reason that although most of the sites are recorded on the Ordnance map of half a centur s possibly e assureagowa b t i ,o t f ethei o d r present existence only through his having actually verified them during the last twelve months. Mr Dey has thus rendered signal service towards the better * Proceedings, xxxv . 230p . STONE CIRCLES OF NORTH-EASTERN SCOTLAND. 83 •completing of the Eeport for this district, and at the same time saved our investigating party considerable expenditure of time and trouble. The first section of this Eeport, therefore, will deal with the following— . I ADDITIONAL SITE KINTORN I S B DISTRICT. No. Nether1 Oorskie.—In aflat, low-lying space, about three hundred yard s e roasoutth df o hgoin g westwards from Waterto f Echo n t (see ,TJATHS STONE 0 SCAL MILEF EO S Fig 1. Map showing additional Sites in the Kintore District. map o stone, , tw stanfig 1) .e s dth e illustratioshow th n i n e nth (fig, 2) . only remaining members of a circle of which no tradition now exists. The unusualle yar y massive block f reddisso h evidentle granitear d an , y the two pillars between which there once reposed a Eecumbent Stone of about 10 feet in length. They stand almost exactly west and east of •each othere WesterlTh . y Pillar stand 2 fee 1 sinche2 t s clear above ground s basait d l an ,girt s ovei h3 feet1 r . Viewed from either north or south, its form is pyramidal. On the edge facing west, at a height of 84 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 190312 Y . 3 feet 3 inches, is a peculiarly distinct cup-mark, quite circular, 3| inches incn a f hwid fo othed deep e ean Th ease r. th face t d edg remarke san ear - ably smoot d frean he from irregularitie r weatheringso s e EasTh t. Pillar stands 7 feet 2 inches above ground, is very smooth and vertical e soutonth h side e northt rougth t bu ,e I girthbas n .th o h e t a sjus t over 14 feet. It leans towards the east. The Stones stand 10 feet 2 inches apart, and their longer axes are in the same line. Fig . Remain2 . Circlf so t Netheea r Corskie. This site is quite inconspicuous, being open to view only towards the S.E., and even there at no great distance. Its height above the level of the sea is about 360 feet. Back2 . No Fornet, Standing Stone.—The sit f thieo s fine monolith fiela n e dfarm-steadingso th S.Es i f o . 0 fee38 ,t above sea-level, which e northslopeth o t s, commandin n unbrokea g n prospec a N.K". n i t - westerly direction, which culminates in the Mither Tap of Bennachie STONE CIRCLES OF NORTH-EASTERN SCOTLAND. 85 (see fig. SA). The Stone is of grey granite, is remarkably vertically set, standd an fees8 inche6 t s above ground e roughlTh . y rhomboidal base girths 9 feet 6 inches, and its summit can scarcely be much less. No. 3. Wardes, Standing Stone.— This oddly-shaped Stone stands withiscorw fe e na e maiyardth nf o sroa d near Burnside s westit n ,o , and in a somewhat level field. It can boast of neither height nor dignity, beinfee3 inchet 5 t gbu s above ground s bas it irregula n ed a an , r triangle, the sides of which measure 3 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 1 inch and 2 feet respectively s for It e illustrations .i showm th n i n , . figLik3B . e Fig. Bac3A . k Fornet. Fig. SB. Wardes. number thesf so e smaller stones shapelesa s i t ,i s bloc bluf ko e whinstone, thickly veined with white quartz. The site is about 320 feet above sea- level. No. 4. Braeneil, Standing Stone.—This site, 500 feet above sea-level, is rather over two miles distant in a westerly direction from the last, and about one hundred yards to the south of an old avenue on the policies of Castle Frasers i difficul t I f access.o t , bot n accoune o hth f o t woody declivitie e neath f r so land s wela , s becausa l publio n e c roads pass at all close to it. The spelling ' Breneil' occurs on an early nineteenth century map. 86 PROCEEDING F THO S E SOCIETY, JANUAR , 190312 Y . The monolith, is a ponderous mass of whinstone, considerably rounded actioe byth f waterno t standI . s exactl yfee6 t abov smala e l rinf go soil, cleared to a level by the trampling of cattle, out of a fine old pasture- field, sloping northwards fee3 bas e 1 s girtinches3 th tIt s e i t . h d a an , a heigh t i measurefee3 t a 2 f to t 0 fee s1 inches9 t s longesit , t edge- feeo4 f inches8 t , trend compasy sb degree5 s s eas northf to happensd an , - poino t t exactl MitheBennachiee f o th p o yt rTa . (See Jfig) 4. , Fig 4. Braeneil. No. 5. Woodend of Cluny, Standing Stone.—This grand monolith we a distancsa t wa e durin ga forme r survey t beinbu , g presse r timefo d , site neas ei Th e centr th a prettr passe . f o eby yt di level tract (some O.Me Th . show Standina s g Ston a poin t a equartea t mila f e o r th eas f o t farm-hous1 e of Scrape-hard, one mile S.W. of Buchan's School. I searched the ground—a small bit of moorland, full of granite boulders—thoroughly, but saw no- stone which could ever have been mistaken for a megalith of the slightest interest to archaeology. Two of the aged inhabitants whom I questioned had never heard of one here. STONE CIRCLE F NORTH-EASTERO S N SCOTLAND. 87 of which is yet mossy land) to the N.W. of the north lodge at Castle Fraser, and it is distant from the main road going to Kemnay about four hundred yards to the north. It stands almost on the bank of the e pointh t Burnta n wherd To e parishean , th e f Clunyso , Kemnayd an , Monymusk meet. s pointsit Take l al mose , n th ni thi f t o simposin e Stony on an s ei f go that have come under our notice. Its great regularity, the exactness with whic sideo htw s meerigha t a te squarenest th angle d an ,flat d san - Fig Wooden5. Clunydof . ness of its summit, go far towards suggesting the possible use of tools f finfos shapingo it res i gre t I y. whinstone (se littlea , fige5) . rounded on the south corner, close to the ground, and projecting a few inches abov e middle !N~.Eth eth f .o e side, otherwise remarkably smootd an h quite perpendicular. Its basal girth is 13 feet 4 inches, but at the height of 6 feet 3 inches it measures 14 feet 3. It stands 10 feet 8 inches clear above ground. Its longest axis points N.N".W. 30 degrees (M). No. 6. Luath's Stone, Monymusk.—This Standing Stone also should have been observed during the surveys of 1900—the site being within a e finth mile f o Circle t Whitehill.a e e weatheTh 1 r then hindered Described in Proceedings, xxxv. p. 204, 1 88 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 12, 1903. us; 'an t i almosd t seeme s thouga d e samth h e inclement conditions had leagued themselves against us on this occasion, since we were storm- stayed for several hours amongst the hospitable folk living at Mains of Whitehouse, so here we obtained careful directions as to the locale of e Stone th e alsW o . heard tha t i went t sometime e namth f o ey b s Macbeth's Stone. The site is amongst the heather and short moorland e uplanth f o dgrassee sheep-pastureon f o s f Whitehouse,so heigha t -a t of 1050 feet above sea-level e monolitth d an , h mus easile b t y seen from Fig. 6. Luath's Stone. highee th r hill f Corrennio s e southth o t e, thoug encloses i e t hi th n do north and west by an abrupt brae-face of rock and heather.