Ardlui Monuments

I. ARDLUI MEGALITHS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS; CROSSES AT LUIB AND ALLOWA SHORA D TYAN CIS T EDNAMTA , ROXBURGH- . LACAILLED . SHIREA Y B . , F.S.A.ScoT. ARDLUI MONUMENTS. Loch Lomondside has not figured in any outstanding event in Scottish history t froye , m time immemoria t i musl t have occupie a dplac f o e considerable importance, for with Glen Falloch, its approach from the north, it formed a natural communication with the south and south-west froe greamth t east-and-west rout f Gleeo n Lochy, Strath Fillan, Glen Dochart and the Tay Valley.1 1 The Glen Falloch and Loch Lomond way was no doubt used by some ecclesiastics going to frod an m lona; onle famouyon s name, however s clearli , y indicated—tha e biographeth f o t r of Columba n "EaI . s Eodhnain d "Croian " t Eodhnain n uppei " r Glen Falloch, Adamnan is commemorated in a stream and a croft. Rowardennan, at the base of Ben Lomond on the east side of the loch, was possibly connected with the venerable abbot. (Vide W. J. Watson, The History Celtic e oth f Place-names of Scotland, . 270.p ) 326 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , APRI , 1929L8 . In the past, tracks existed along Loch Lomond and these were the predecessor e moderth f so n highway which take mose th s t even course MILE i o 4 MILES i I Ardluf o p FigiMa Distric . 1 . t showing Archfeological Sites. Chaistei1 l Grigoi Sit. 2 f Coir o er; e Earbh Steadin . Chaistei3 g; l Eab . Adamnan'4 ; s Croft; 5. Clach nam Breatann; 6. Mounds of Stones; 7. Site of Clach naro Breatann Clachan ; 8. Boundary Burn; 9. The Dun; 10. Cairn, Remains of Chapel and Cemetery; 11. Ben a' Chaisteil; 12. Stone Circle, Sculptured Hock, Stone Axe found; 13. Boulder; 14. Long Cairn; 15. Pulpit Kock. wese onth t side water'e closth o et sformen i edge s A .r times roae th , d passes through the few places where cultivation is possible, and, con- sequently, where there are settlements (fig. 1). Changing conditions ARDLUI MEGALITHS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS. 327 necessitated alteratio lineroutd e ol th sn e n i roads e taketh th t y nbu ,b have been followed closel generalld yan y ther s beeeha n little deviation. addition I land-routa o nt e alon westere gth n shore heravailabls ewa e the means of water transport giving small craft a passage to the Clyde e Riveth f o r Leveny b ywa e larg th , e effluene lochth f .o t Wit e exceptiohth e loweth f rno reachesomn i d e san rive r valleys, the Loch Lomond basin could not have supported a large population. Nort f Inverbeho r mor(o g e correctly, Lower Inveruglas) e westh tn o , sided Rowardennaan , n Lomone east Be th e foo f th ,n o o dtt a n steep and rocky hillsides exist. Only in a few places on the east and e loch chieflheae th th thers f i , do stretct y a ye an f lanho d that might have afforded scope for farming and of "which advantage is taken to this day, but principally for the grazing of cattle and sheep. There are more cultivated areas on the west side between Inverbeg and Tarbet as the hills are not so precipitous. To the south of Inverbeg the slopes gradually become less accentuated, and finally disappearing, merge into the plains in the lower Fruin valley, the flats of Kil- maronock parish, lower Strath Endrick on the opposite shore and e Val th f Leveno e . Fields, both pastur d undean e r cultivatione ar , found at Tarbet on the isthmus between the fresh-water loch and the sea-arm, Loch Long at Arrochar. Three miles north of Tarbet at Upper Inveruglas nearlr fo d yan , 1| mile sout f Ardluiho , als abour ofo t 2 mile f loweo s r Glen Falloch nea e embouchurth r e riverth s f i ,o e there pasture and arable land, although in the last-mentioned part onlnarroa n yi w alluvial stri eithen po e streamr th sid f eo . Glen Falloch and the upper reaches of Loch Lomond are in a region formerly politically interesting. Here was debatable land, the northern part of Strathclyde, wedged between Dalriada to the. west and Pictland to the east. Even to this day the county boundaries e peculiarar ; their arrangemen s evidenci t a lon f o ge successiof o n territorial disputes and settlements by charters since the union of the ancient kingdoms. Dumbartonshire extends for more than two miles north of the head of the loch, and on the west of the Falloch it is separated from Perth- e Allth shir t y Arnab e n which n easterla flow n i s y direction until crosseroae t th Inverarnand a y db , thence runnin ge las soutth t r hfo half-mile of its course and continuing to form the boundary until it joins the Falloch at Garabal Farm. The boundary between the o countietw s northward s thei e smai th n n river which, a sav r fo e peculiar irregularit south-ease th fiela o n t ydi f Inverarnano t , divides poina s a tr thenearlfa s ma y opposit e Benglath e s Burn. This, except- ing a few yards near its confluence with the Falloch, is the march with 328 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 8, 1929. Killin (Perthshire) and Arrochar (Dumbartonshire) on either side, to norte soutth d han h respectively. Dumbartonshire extend e easth tn so of Loch o Lomonmile e tw Allth sr t s fo dsouta r f Ardluo hfa s a i Rostan separatin t gfroi m Stirlingshire. Argyll marches with Dum- bartonshir e heighte south-westerth th n f o o es n extremite th f o y Grampians approximatel o mileytw s wes f Gleo t n Falloch. Neae th r mountain tarn, Lochan Arnan, Perthshire joins these two counties; thence northwards Argyl d Pertan l h meet along Druim Albaine th , ancient Dalriadic boundary. Survival f Regardo r Megaliths.-—fo Where thern absenca s i e f o e distinct natural features by which parish or county boundaries may be clearly defined, recourse is made to artificial landmarks to indicate the marches. Isolated boulder r heapo s f stoneo s e placear s t intervalsda , ann imaginara d y line running through thes e limitss takei eth s na . Particularly does this appl o sparselyt y populated district mound an s - tainous regions. In localities where agricultural operations are carried on, boundaries may take the form of field confines such as walls and ditches or hedges planted in the past to separate one area from another. It will sometimes be found, when an actual examination is made of the limit f territoryo s naturall, w thafe a t y placed stone e utilisear s d to serve as boundaries, and it is not unusual to observe that on some of these are prehistoric sculpturings.1 Stones still bearing upon their surfaces mor r leseo s distinct traces of archaic markings are usually of such size or shape as to arrest attention. Their striking appearance would make them easily recog- nised landmarks which, through custom, ultimately acceptecame b o et d f limitariao s a n value. Megalith e founar s d incorporated into march- walls whild an , e som f theseo e structures are doubto n , , comparatively modern, many go back to the mediaeval and have undergone repair at different times. Other boundaries, acknowledged formerly, have become obsolete. Near abandoned clachans and shielings old limits of terri- toria othed an l r division2 foune b ruinen y i d ma s d dyke whosn i s e lines one seldom fails to detect the presence of huge stones. Frequently in e neighbourhooth e numerouth f do s deserted habitation e Highth f o s- land glen e enormouar s s boulders, and, althougo n hf o most e ar moment a few, s landmarksa , , certainl d filn importana ydi l t parn i t the past. Respect for megaliths was not solely restricted to those serving the The late Dr D. Christison mentions two Peeblesshire instances of cup-marked boulders buil1t into walls, one near Manor Kirk and the other near Castle Hill. (Proceedings, vol. xxiii. pp. 140-2.) Examples are to be found in the defining marches of the detached portions of counties incorporate2 d into the large shires in 1891. ARDLUI MEGALITHS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS. 329 purpos f denotino e g boundaries. Innumerable instances t onlno ,n i y these island t alssbu o abroadcitee b dn wherca , naturaea l landmarf ko this kinstild dan whichle moron o ,es fro mose mth t remote antiquity had attracted man, fulfilled the duty of marking meeting-places for the holdin f open-aio g r courts, elections, religious observance d othean s r popular trysts. As a practice, assemblies near natural megaliths have not altogether ceased. Still more deeply ingrained in peoples who have preserved primitive custom e habith f attendin o s ti s g meetingt a s standing-stones set up by human handiwork. In this connection it is almost unnecessary to refer to Brittany with its pilgrimages to un- dressed boulders, menhirs, stone-circles, alignment tumulid san . Wales furnishes some examples of a similar nature. The usefulnes e hugth ef o sisolate e dveneratio th ston d an e n i n which it was held did not escape the attention of the founders of the early Church in Scotland and elsewhere.

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