II. VACATION NOTES IN CKOMAR, BURGHEAD, AND STRATHSPEY. By ARTHUR MITCHELL, M.D., V.P.S.A. SCOT. Including NOTICE OF ONE OF THE SUPPOSED BURIAL-PLACES OF ST COLUMBA. BY JAMES DRUMMOND, ESQ., R.S.A., F.S.A. SOOT. These notes are founded on observations chiefly made during a holiday monte inth Augusf ho t 1873. They were originally embodie lettea n i dr to David Douglas, Esq., but have since been extended in various direc- tions, preserving, however, their epistolary and discursive character. extensione th n I I shav e mad eI hav e been ofte largeld nan y aidey db Mr Joseph Anderson—so often and so largely that a general acknowledg- ment becomes almos onle th t y thing possible. The notes refer only to those objects of archmological interest which I happened to see, and regarding which—or oftener perhaps regarding what they suggested—I had something to say which appeared to me more or less new. I. CROMAR.1 (1.) EIBDB HOUSES.—The first old thing I had an opportunity of examining was one of those subterranean structures, called Eirde Houses, numerouo s whic e e countth ar h f n Aberdeeni o sy s situatei t I d.

Reve Th 1 . Joh nStatisticalw M.'HardyNe e th n i Account, (vol. xii. 1070)p . , describes Cromar as a district of , comprehending part of five parishes. 604 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

at Mill of Migvie, and has been figured and described by Mr Jervise.1 Towards the outlet, the passage bends sharply on itself, instead of pursuing curvilineae th r sweep whic s usuai h sucn i l h structures wher stonee eth s of the districts in which they occur have not more or less of the character of flags. t Culshe adjoininA th n i , g paris Tarlandf ho othe Eirdw o sa tw reI , Houses. .One of these has been described by Dr Stuart,2 and also by Mr Jervise I a figurems o t a awarer e otherwh ,no fa th s s o t it;s ha , bu 3 yet been described boulderThe . sconstructio usethe din thesnof etwo houses appeare unusualle m o dt y large. Both at Culsh and Migvie the terminal chamber, instead of being pear- shaped, is more or less rectilinear, contrary, I think, to what might have been expected where such building materia beed ha ln employed. (2.) ST WALLACE.—To this illustrious Scottish saint and "first of , intimatelo s s i o wh y" associated wit e districhth f Cromaro t , my attentio soos d oftennwa an n drawn I propos somethind y sa an , o et g about his stone in Logie; about his well and kirk in Glass ; about the northern peopl labouree eh d amon g; abou house th t livee eh d in; about a possible relic of him in Coldstone ; and, as suggested by the last, about some objects which were occasionally buried with persons who had led saintly lives. t wilI conveniene lb writo t t thesf eo e things under separate headings. In the Old Statistical Account (vol. vi. p. 223), the Eev. Mr Maitland says:— " Cromar is a division of Mar in Aherdeenshire, and comprehends in it the parish of Coul in the east end, the parishes of and Migvy, of Coldstone and Logy, and e paris th r parJame f f TullicSi o ho e t middlf it.n o th I s wes"d d n h i an een t BalFour's Collections, MS., Croma s thui r s described:—"This prettey little conntrey laye bottoma n si e plai nconsistd e,"an f "fivo s e parochiall churche parishese or s , viz. . Loge1 , y Mar . Colstaine2 ; . Migvie3 ; . Tarland4 ; . Coule."—5 d an ; (Collections Shirese onth f Aberdeeno d Banff,an Spalding e Club,e Viewth th . f 86.p o n I ) f Aberdeen,o again e districth , s thui t s defined:—"Cromare , Th tha , is t Heart of Mar, either because it is the middle or the choicest part of it, is a bottom lying d Donbetweean ,e surroundenDe d with four hills d containinan , g these three whicf cureso o e double—Tarlahar tw , Migvied an n , Logy-Ma Cold ran - "stane callew no , d Logy-Colstane, Cowl."— Collecte Shiresth f n Aberdeeno o , d an Banff, p. 85.) 1 Proe Socf o Antiq.f o . Scotf o . .. 304volp . .v . cit. . 2Op . 261 volp . i .. s Op. cit. vol. v. p. 283. VACATION NOTE CEOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 5 KAN 60 . (a) Wallaeh's Stone.—The stone which carriet e S namth sf o e "Wallach,1 stands just burial-ground outsidol e eth f Logido e Mart I . hears no inscription or sculpture of any kind. Its existence appears to have escaped the notice of the Bishop of Brechin when preparing his Kalendar of Scottish Saints, though it was described by the Rev. James Wattie in a letter to Dr Joseph Kobertson, from which Dr Stuart quotes in his paper on Crannogs.2 handsoma s i t I e monolith fee6 , woule t t on havhigh dd no ean ;bee n surprise learo t d n that tradition mada petrifactio t i e e Druith f do n whom St Wallach dispossessed.3 It is written of the early saints that they sometimes disposed of the priests of the more ancient faith in this lifmannere f Maedh6go eth n I . , Bisho f Fernapo instancer fo ,e ar e w , told that Caillin Irisn a , e hschool-pupi th saint d an , f Maedhogo l , per- forme famoua d s miracle Druidth n o e s whom Fergua, kin f Briefnego , sent against turnehime H . d them into stones, " and, addeds i t "i , " they still remai standins na g stones. date 4 th es "whe A.Dwa 4 n Maedhd62 . g resigned his spirit to heaven,"5 so that we have an approach to the tim f thieo s miracle.6 saine alss 1Th i t o remembere followine th n di g rhyme:—' " Wallach's fair in Logie Mar, The thirtieth Januar.f o y ,da " Though St Wallach "s fair appears thus to have been on the 30th, hia festival day is on the 29th of January. In the parish of Glass his fair was held on the Tuesday before Christmas. (Macfarlane's Geog. Coll.) 2 Proc. of Soc. of Antiq. of Scotland, vol. vi. p. 171. 3 See Legends of the Braes of Mar (Abdn. 1861, p. 3), for a Cromar story of an interview between a Druid and an early Christian missionary. 4 Martyrology of Donegal, compiled by Michael O'Clery in 1630. Published by the Irish Arch, and Celtic Society, p. 87. 6 Martyr, of Donegal, op. cit. p. 33. Druids, too, are believed to have had the power of turning men into stones. In man6 y parts of Ireland this is what the common people believe to be the history of standing stones (Huddlestone's edition of Toland, Montrose, 1814, pp. 130 and 295). And according to Martin, the people of Lewis say of many such pillars there that they are "me enchantmeny nb t turned into stones." (Western Highland, ) 17039. . p , This superstition, indeed, appears to exist very widely. The two standing stones near West Skeld are believed by the people of to be metamorphosed wizards or giants (New Stat. Acct. Shetland, p. Ill), and Unda, in one of his rare books, say sHighlande thaofteth y n ti n ma u hea people syo rth e gravely talf ko VOL. X. PART II. 2 U 6 60 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 . (6) 'St. Wallace's Kirk and Well in the Parish of Glass.—St Wallach's northern1 missio s describeni havins a d g bee o Mart n , Strathdond an , Balveny—tha e tribeth o t s , inhabitinis t e stretcth g f countrho y thus indicated therr fo , e wer o dioceseen parishesr so understane w s a , d them, n thosi e days r indeeno , d sooner'tha e reign th f Alexandeo n r I.,e th 2 relation spirituaa f so l oversight being primarily rathee clath n o rt tha n to the territory. t Wallach' S Balvene f th o n d I yen s northern missionary district—in the parish of Glass—we find him quite as well remembered as in Logie- Coldstone. There was a "yearly mereat" held there on the Tuesday before Christmas village th t ,a e calle Haughe dth Edinglassief so , nea bridge rth e which spans the burn of Invermarkie, and over which the Barons of Edinglassie use hano dt ge Highlan sucth f ho d thieve s thea s y managed to catchmarke e longeo n Th s .Revi e tr r Duguith held D .t bu , d tells me that fifty years ago, in his own day, it was in full force. He tells me also that the old Pont is still to be seen in the aisle of ruie whaf th no calles i t d Walla-Kirk tha d welbathe d an ,th t an l 3 which bea t Wallach'S r s name, were quite recentl n fam i yr thei fo e r healing qualities. The well, which is about 30 yards below the old kirk-yard, is now dry, except in very rainy weather, in consequence of the drainage of the field frequentes wa t abovI peoply db . eit e with soreo eyes everd wh e an , yon a hol n i e whicn went lef pi i bee d a eithet o tt h ha n cu natury rb y b r eo

these pillars as petrified giants, fiends, and necromancers. (Shetland Revisited, by Unda 40.. makee p , H )superstitioe sth n classic remindiny b , thas gu t Kingsley recites that " Polydecte guestss hi d ,san after being show Gorgon'e nth s hea Perseusy db t si , on the hill side, a ring of grey stones, until this day." (Op. cit., p. 40.) It is probable that research would disclose a similar superstition existing in most of the countries of the world—of which, perhaps, there is an illustration in Shaw's Travels in Barbary and the Levant, in his chapter on Eas Sera or the Petrified Village. (2nd ed., 1757 . 155.p , ) 1 He had a southern one to Galloway—Candida casa. 2 Sketches of Early Scotch History, by Cosmo Innes, p. 11; and Dr Stuart's Book of Deer, pp. 126 and 132. ^ In a reference to the bath and well in Chambers's Dom. An. of Scot. vol. i. . 323p , Wallac n anchoriti a s hspokei s a f o nc e paris saintdwelo th f wh n hi ,o t ' Glass in the fifth century, and who is reckoned the first . VACATION NOTES IN CROMAE AND STRATHSPEY. 607

stona arn i t e besid welle r Duguieth D . sees d sayha n e thish s hole full of pins at the end of May. It was thus not on the saint's day, the 29th of January, but in May, that both the well and the bath were frequented, latn i e time t leastsa . The bath is a cavity in the rock, 3 or 4 feet deep, and is supplied by a small spring coming out of the brae about twenty yards above the watee th bath d r tricklean , e cavityth f s o ove ,eas e d fallinth ren t g down the rock some 4 feet into the river. It was famed for curing children who wer t thriving r no eDugui D d an d; says that whe firse nh t came e paristh o ht hundred childref so n were t dipeveri n i t y year—a ragn a , ol fro b dchild'e bi shirtm th a r so , body, being huntrea n ego beside eth bath, or thrown into it. When the Deveron was in flood it got into the bath, and swept all the offerings down to the sea. Dr Duguid adds persothae this on t snwa year (1874) brough t froi seasidee o mt th .

(c) St Wallach's Life.—St Wallach's northern work evidently made a deep and lasting impression, This is not to be wondered at, if all that is said of him be true. To show what I mean, I quote some passages Aberdeee fro th lifs mn ehi i n Breviary.1 " More than four hundred years after Lorsuffered ou rdha us, r dfo " says his biographer, "while this one faith, which the Eoman Catholic preaches had not been received through all Scocia, on account of the paucit teachere th saie f yth o d f schurcho ; among these, blessed Volocus,2 e bishopth distinguishea , d confesso f Christo r sais i , havo dt e flourished with remarkable miracle e northerth n i s n par f thao t t countryo t d an , have chosen for himself a place of dwelling among the high rocks. .... e voluntaril"H . y submitted himselgreatese th o t ft hunger, Kalendar of Scottish Saints, by the Bishop of Brechin, p. 460; Brev. Aberd. 1 Prop. Sanct. pars. hyem. 45 . , fol44 . His name is written Walach, "Wellach, "Wallach, Walloon, and Wella in the 2 Macfarlane MSS.; Wallak, Wolok, and Walla in the Presby. Book of Strathbogie; Volocus in the Abdn. Breviary; Mac-Wolok and Makuolocus in Gamerarius; Makuo- lok in King's Kalendar; and Makuvolokus in Dempster. The writer of the View of e Diocesth Aberdeef eo n talk Camerariuf so s confoundina s g Wolok with Makwolok, f thei s ya were different persons. (See Collection e Shireth n Aberdeef o so d an n Banff, p. 128 ; see also Antiq. of Abdn. and Banff, vol. ii. 180 185). The prefix Mak here is not the Celtic word meaning son of, but the Celtic word meaning my, and conveyin iden g a f endearment o a introduces i k sake e th euphonf Th r eo .dfo y 608 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

thirst, and cold, that in this life he might satisfy for his own sins and. for thos otherf s churcheo hi n si . "Fo e preferreh r pooa d r little house, woven togethe f reedo rd an s wattles royaa o t , llif a povertf palaceeo d humilityle thin d I e ysan .h , on all sides shunning the dignities of this world, that he might achieve to himself a higher reward in heaven, and- for an eternal: guerdon receive a perpetual crown. race th e t who"Bu preferree mh convero dt faite Christth f ho o t d an , whom actually by his preaching and exhortation he did convert, no one would hesitate to describe as fierce, untamed, void of decency, of man- nersvirtued an d incapabl, an , f easileo y listenin wore th f truthdo o gt , and their conversation was rather that of the brutes that perish than of men.1 "For theneithed yha r altar oratory r templean no , r whicn yi no , h they might return thank theno st ; Creator thes a yd believean ; t thadno t Christ had been born, so they had neither knowledge nor faith, but like brute animals, given to eating, sleeping, and gorging, they finished their e blindnesliveth n i s f unbeliefo s , asserting tha eternao t n ther s lewa punishmen inflictee sinr b unjuste fo to th s t n do ...... " At length in extreme old age, on the 4th of the kalends of February, with angels standing around, his soul passed away to Christ, honous thihi o ant n sdp i u rtime parochiae th , l churche Tumethf so d an 2 dedicated.e ar r LogMa n yi "

1 Dempster calls St Wallach Episcopus sodorensis, and says he taught the precepts of a better life to those Scots of the Woods who are called Hibernians—Scotis illis silvestribus qui Hibernienses dicunlur. I do not know whether any special tribes were designated Scoti silvestres, or whether the term was loosely applied to any tribe inhabiting inaccessible regions—muc heae f w wilde o rs a h Scotsd Eedd-an shankes,—in John Elder's letter, for instance, to Henry the Eighth, in 1542 or 1543 (Collectanea de Rebus Albanicis, Edin. 1847, p. 26). He says that these wilde Scots "spake none other language but Yrisclie," and that they were called Eyringhe or Irelandemen, Scotland itself being known as Eyryn veagg or Little Ireland. thesn I e references, Woode Scotth f d Hibernianso an s made ssamar e eth e people, but Bishop William of , in a letter to King Christian of Norway, appears to regar Scote dth i Silvestre differens sa t from e Sodorenseth - s Ybernenses (Letter dated 28th June 1461. See .Diplomatorium Norvegicum, Christiania, 1861, vol. v. p. 606.) 2 The old parish of Dunmeith is now included in the parish of Glass. VACATION NOTES IN CEOMAE AND STRATHSPEY. 609

(d) Character of the People among whom St Wallach laboured.—We flatterina hav t eno g accoun e conditiot herth northere f eo th f no n tribes among who e sainmth t laboure e eightth n i hd centurys quiti t I e . possible, however, thapeople th t f theseo e districts wer goos ea d thes na the nowe yar ;goo s thaa , dis t potentially witr o , greas ha t mental power and capacity for culture. Nor is this saying little; for where can a people be found superior to those now in the district 1 After the Gallo- vidians, the men of Aberdeenshire have the largest heads in Scotland;1 as regards stature and bulk they are seldom surpassed;2 and they make themselves felt, bot miny hbodyb d dan , wherever they appear spitn I . e of this, perhaps some of the things said of them by St Wallach's bio- grapher might still be said. It is possible, for instance, that there _are persons now among them who do not believe in the eternal punishment of sin; and the returns of the Eegistrar-General might be held "by strict people to indicate a certain "void of decency, of manners, and virtue." In the opinion of sound churchmen, I suppose they might still be described as without altar, temple, or oratory in which they can thank their Creator for his goodness. It is even a question whether some might not be found among them who would doubt the sufficiency of the grounds on which the Saint himself rested his hopes of a " reward in Heaven," and his faith in the satisfying for sin by the endurance of hunger, thirst, and cold n certaiI . n aspects, therefore e presenth , t characte .people th f o er may perhaps be regarded as a venerable antiquity. e Wattled(e)Th House n whichi t WallachS lived.—St Wallacs hi said to have lived in a poor little house woven together of reeds and wattles, and this seems to have been reckoned a hardship and a mark of humility. We cannot, however, safely infer from this that the people among who o e werlabouredmh wh e d neithean , r self-denyinr no g humble, lived in houses of a different and more comfortable character. Indeed, it seems surprising to find so much made of the Saint's wattled dwelling, since houses constructed mor lesr eo s completel f wattleyo d an daub still exist amon I knog d uswan ; tha tolerable t b then yca y com-

1 Memoi Anthrope th f ro . Society . 444p . .ii , 2 Beddoe's Stature and Bulk of Man in the British Isles. 610 PROCEEDINGS OF THE'SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

fortable t Inverie A parise th . f Glenelgn ho i , I ,once 1 slep housa n i t e partitione th whicf so h wer f wattlineo g plastered with I finclay d d an ; an entr n nii yy journal (16th Oct. 1866) y thawhicn i ,sa n i t I h Kintail, Glengarry, Glenmoriston d Lochaheran , , " wattled partitions plastered with clay are frequent—outside walls too, but these generally for shed r byres.o s " Another entry occurs, e 17toith l hf Septembeo r 1864, very e sammucth eo t h effect. Captain Thomas , tellfrome sm personal observation, that wattlin tils lg wa lately probabld an , y stil, lis common in some parts of the Highlands. Nor was it confined to the dwellings of the poor. In Duthil, for instance, the old house of Inver- ladnan whicn i , h Prince Charles passe nightda d creeha , l partitionso ;s e housth Shillochaf d eo ha same th e n ni parish. t StronmilchainA 2 n i j parise th f Glenurchho Inishaild yan , M'Grego Glenstraf o r housa d eha e buil f wattleso t , sai havo t d e been surrounde moata d accessibly db an , e only by a drawbridge ;3 and about the end of the eighteenth century, the second son of Cluny, afterwards the Chief, brought home his bride, a daughte Lochielf o r wattlea o t , d hous t Nuidea , near Kingussie.* Walker, again, writing between 1760 and 1786, says, " When wood is at hand they erect what is called creel houses. These are formed of wooden posts, interlaced with branche f treeso s , like wicker-workd an , covered on the outside with turf." 5 Whe heae nf personw o r s livin creen gi l houses t wouli , entirele db y wrong to conclude that they are either half-barbarous or peculiarly wretched. The fact may be nothing more than an outcome of circum- stances, and no mark at all of inferiority or misery. The early settlers in Australia were persons who had been born and brought up in stone houses f the o lived ,m w ha .id nfe luxuriouslywhica t no h t ye , we read that their house n Melbourni s e " were most primitivn i e

1859n I 1860r ,o "Wr .M .F . Skene, when reading these note proofn i s , kindly 1 furnished me with the additional fact that the well-known Macdonell of Glengarry thesf o buil e e on twattle d house t Inveriesa occupied summea an , s a t i dr residence for many years. Mr Skene adds that he has often slept in it. I stat house th authorit e f Shil n th o e thii Davir n s -so M . wa Rossf dyP o t I . 2 lochan- that a remarkable piece of Scotch carving on fir was lately discovered. See Inverness Courier 24tf o h Septembe 15td ran h October 1874. 3 New Stat. Acct. vol. vii. p. 97. 4 Book of Deer, by Dr Stuart, preface, p. cli. 6 Walker's Econom. Hist, Hebridee ofth Highlandsd san . Edin. 1806. ,95 vol . p . i VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 611

form and construction," and, " were chiefly limited to one storey, and usually buil f wattle-stemo t s interlaced d plasterean , d with mud, known as wattle and daub."1 Mr Eobert Tennent tells me that he long lived in such a house, of which he has shown me a photograph, and in which he enjoyed no little happiness and comfort. Wattle-built churches 2 were common, and have received notice at the hands of various writers;3 but in the " Marfcyrology of Donegal ".* there is n interestina g referenc o onet e r r verwhich,fo fo ys a man, y other references indebtem r a Andersone ther M I ar , eo e t d tolW .d that Mochao r Caolano i , Abbo f n'Aondriumo t n Uladhi , , went with seven scort wattlecu e o yount mako st n eg churchme a himsel s thawa d e an h ,ft cutting timber like the rest when a bird, " more beautiful than the birds e world,oth f " spoke witfrom hi hma blac k thor d conn an clos -, by e tinued speakinyears0 30 r , gfo whil e sainth e t slept " a slee p without decay of the body "—his bundle of wattles lying the while by his side, like himself keeping fresh and without decay. Machaoi is said to have been aliv n A.Dei . 496 t PatricS . k a crozier gavm hi e , called froe mth legend of the Wattles the Baculus Volans, or Winged Crozier.

(/) The Coldstone and St Wallach's Grave.—The Aberdeen Breviary vaguely makes St Wallach to have lived and died " more than 400 years after our Lord;" Dempster says he flourished in the year 320; and Camerarius place deats shi lase 733n h i certainls i tTh . y neareso t t s probable i truth th d an , y pretty nea . it rN o one, however, tells u s where he died and was buried, but it is fairly probable, or at all events possible n somi s ,e wa thapar f that i o t t northern distric n whici t h 1 Glimpses of Life in Victoria. By a Resident. Edin. 1872, p. 10. See also Voyage Ease th to st Indies Johy b , n Splinter Stavorinus, Lond. 1798. ,57 vol . p . .i oratorn A y buil woodf o t , wattling buile saiclab r s o ,o dt yt wa "afte mannee rth r 2 f stono e e eScots,o on th f"afte d e Roma"an th r n manner. woodee Th " n oratory which King Edwin erecte t Yor da encloses stone kwa th en di church whic aftere hh - wards built there; and William of Malmesbury tells ns that the "old church of wattled work "—St Mary of Glastonbury—was, at the end of the sixth century, "covered with a coating of boards" by order of Paulinus, Bishop of York.—(See Babington, Arch. Camb. 1857, vol. iii . 147.p . ) 3 Dr Stuart, Book of Deer, p. cxlix. to clvii.; R. Perrott in the Arch. Camb. 1857, vol. iii. p. 147; and Reeve's Adamnan, pp. 106, 114, and 177. cit.. . 177-9p Op 4 . 612 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874

his great missionary work was done. I am the readier to believe it was there, becaus e facth et would sui a theort I yforme d regardinga very interestin buriad ol ge l stonth groun n i e f Coldstoneo d o whict , h my attentio directeds nwa , several year sEev e agoth .y ,b George David- sketce sonTh h. whic hI subjoi n (fig fairl) 1 . y exhibits its'character. a flattish s i t I , water-worn, undressed stone, Fig. 1. abou inche2 2 t s1 inche 1 lon y gb s3 widd an e inches thick. On one of its faces, an oval of about 12 inches by 8 inches is sunk, and within this oval ther Latia s ei n cros reliefn si . I believ late r Josepeth D e h Robertson, when visitin r AlexandeSi g r Anderso t Blellach,a n 1 n Logie-Coldstonei thiw ssa , stone regarded an , d s belonginia t e eightth o t gh century,o t tha , is t the time of St Wallach. It is not a fragment, but a complete stone; cleas i an t di r tha t nevei t intendes wa r stano dt d e otheth smalerecto n d rto O handan s l.i t i , light to have been laid on the top of a grave, with any hope that it would long remain there. a stone s i ,t I however f somo , e pretensio f groao d t an ncharacter . otheI kneo , n it f wrWheo w similasa nI raskinn o stone d g an , myself what purpose it could have served, it occurred to me that it might have been buried wit t WallachhS havr o , e take e bod s placth e hi n th n y f i e o graves remainhi f i , s were ever remove enshrinement.r dfo face Th t 2tha t it was found in the burial ground of Coldstone and not in that of Logie constitutes no difficulty. So far as our information goes, the interment of St Wallach in the one place is neither more nor less probable than

lat e Robertsor eD Th n thought that Blellac corruptioa s hwa Bal-Wallachf o n , bu1t I believe the general opinion is that this etymology of the word is not correct. On asking Mr "Weale of Bruges, whether he knew of any case in which it was re- corde2 d that some sacred objec taked placbode ha e tsain a n th th f f yo eo t s whewa t ni removed froe grav mth r enshrinement fo e t awar no e sai h s ,e d wa thatha e h tt any such occurrence had been recorded, but that it seemed to him probable that some- thing of the kind might be done, and lie showed me drawings of three cromlech- looking structures, which he knew to have been erected over the graves of translated saints, and which I hope he will soon describe in the pages of the " Beffroi." VACATION NOTE CKOMAN SI STEATHSPEYD R3 AN 61 .

his interment in the other. Both places were within his mission, as were other parishes. Though I first thought of'his grave as the one of which it might once have been the tenant, my speculation, however, allowed of its having been entombed with, or in the place of, any one remarkable for a saintly life.1

(g) lona t S Columba'sCross d an Grave.—On showin r JameM g s Drummon sketcy stonee whatellindm I thoughth o d t e f han o ,m tus ghi t t i might have been put e produceh , e drawinth d f anotheo g r stone found in lona, strikingly like the one at Coldstone; and he told me that comd a simila ha o t ee h r conclusioe purpos servedd th ha o t t i es .na I begged him to put his views into writing, and communicate them to the Society when I read my notes. This he kindly did, and they are embodied in the following—

NOTICE OF ONE OF THE SUPPOSED BUKIAL-PLACES OP ST COLUMBA. By JAMES DRUMMOND, Esq., E.S.A., F.S.A. Scot.

Abou saint'o n t s remain there sar e more conflicting opinions than about thost ColumbaS f eo Irise thay Th wae hsa h t . s burie t Dowde a th n ni same grave wit t Bridget PatrickhS S d an tn fulfilmeni , a prophec f o t y Patrickt S y b . Thi Islanders,deniee s si th y insisdb o wh t thabode th t y was burie t lonada . Pennant also mention e Pope's th tha n i st library there is a life of the saint, which had been translated by Cail .O'Hormer, in which it is stated that he was buried at lona. The best confirmation, however face th t s thai ,eight e bod s liftes th thi yn wa di h centuryt pu d an ,

Mr Skene has suggested that Wallach is the same person as Faelchu, the 12th 1 Abbot of Hy. His ground was that Faelchu is the Irish equivalent of the Latin form Voloous Fechis a , Vigeanusf o s ni , Fina Vyninnusf no Fergad an , Virgiliusf o l . In 717, the year after Faelchu's accession to the chair, the Columbian community were driven by King Nechtan trans dorsum Britannic. Faelchu was then 75 years scarcels i 724n t i I 2 die.e 8 y h t doldpossibla d an , e tha commencee h t missios dhi n in the North after the age of 75, and if he be the same person as Volocus, and met his death in Cromar, he must have returned to the north, which, perhaps, is not altogether improbable in view of the schism which oceurred in the Church at Hy about this period, and of the difficulties by which it appears to have been caused. 4 61 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874.

in a shrine which was of the most costly description. This shrine was con- cealed somewhere against the ravages of the Danes, who in 825 invaded the islan securo dt . eit Failin doingn i , thegso y massacre t BlaithmaidS c and his monks. But still the question remains, "Where was St Columba e consecrate t th i bee buried n i d n Ha 1?d groun t Eeilida g Graint i , would perhaps have been desirablmentioneds wa t i keeo et t pbu ; this secret, considering the claims of the Irish, and their anxiety to possess the body : and some spot might have been selected to which the saint him- partials selwa f . Tradition places—thspeako wese tw th f o to so t t e eon cathedrale th othee placa th , n i re calle Deserte dth , abou quartea t a f o r mile to the north of this. As to the former it seems unlikely, although shrine th e might have been concealed thereabouts havy ma e tradid an , - tionally callecome b s graveo et d hi e otheth . f r o Itsituation s .i 1 that Pennant says Bishop Pococ d mentioned seeha k ha ntha m e hi h t o dt two stones fee7 , t high, wit hthira d laid acros thein o s r top evidenn a , t thad trilithontod d Pennans i ha t r I o whethe .y d t sa doeha t e no srh not seen these himself. I have, however, both seen and sketched them. Besides the upright stones there is a continuous enclosure formed by a series of large boulders, the uprights being the entrance to it, and close by them, inside, is traceable the foundations of what may have been a cell or small chapel, from which the enclosure was called Cladh lain, or St John's burial ground, and sometimes from its situation Cladh an Diseart |thr o ,e buria le Desert s veri placth t yI n i eunfortunat. e that the upper stone of the trilithon or Cromlech (by which name it still goes) was, some years ago, thrown dow somy nb e one'abou farme tth casn ,i e it should fall and injure any of the cattle. It lay on the ground for some time sever aboud o an ,x brokes n si buildt assise o yearwa t th o p n u i t-s ag ing of a new farm-house. This is much to be regretted. The height of the two upright stones is now 5 feet 6 inches (this, with the upper stone which was broke , woulnup d giv heighe eth t mentione Bishoy db p Pocock)e th , distance between them 4 feet 6 inches. It was near this that Mr Alex- ander M'Gregor a youn, is g doctoislandwho the live who and ron ,s

1 Dr Reeve, in my opinion, falls into error in identifying the place of which Pen- nant speaks with Gill ma Neachdain. I am led to this opinion by the following among other reasons :—The spot of which Pennant speaks was called a burial place, andstructurthe e describe Pococdby existinkas g there, still exist Cladsat Disearthan . VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD RAN . 615

nephee clergymath e Establisheo wt th f o n d Church, foun a mosd t interesting relic, a heart-shaped granite boulder, 20xl5£ inches, and having a cross with a nimbus rather rudely sculptured on it. In answer to some enquiries r M'GregoM , r wrote me—"the heart-shaped stone whic hI found e surfac s lyin,th wit n wa shape g o e, crosha th it f eo n s o groune oth f d abou yard0 15 t s fro 'e Claodmth h na Diseart, neas rwa t i ' no building or enclosure, but evidently was taken there for the purpose o f surfacee 0 closinquits 3 th withidraina d r n wa eo o p t an g,I u 0 .n2 yards of that large boulder of granite under which I have heard it said that Saint Columba was buried." e e findes carrieth th wa o t y t rdb I Fig. 2. enclosur f Cladeo h lain, from whence it was taken last summer (] 873) to cathedrae th r preservationfo l e Th . wheee corneth s brokey lb wa r f nof e farmer'th f o e s oon cartf s passing ove . it r Fro s shapemit t i coul, d grave-stonea s a have us e o been f ,no as fro s formit t m i coul t stanno d d upright, but it might have been used to lie on the top of a grave; its rounded shape would not have pre- vented thi e onlse Th yus (fig . .2) to whic I hcoul d imagine suca h stone really to have been put, would y gravea m bo placn d t ei an ;t e i conjecture is, that when the remains of St Columba were enshrined, this stone, with the sacred emblem carved upon it, was put in the place wher saint'e th e s bod laind yha . s worthi t I f noto y ed charg e shrin thath e ha perso f th o to e wh n and conveyed it in 1090 from the north of Ireland, where it was for the time o Kellst , Angus wa , s O'Donnellan Disere Coars th wa f f bo o o t wh , Columcille at Kells, which gives us the fact that there was a Disert Icomkille at Kells as well as at lona. In the enclosure at Cladh lain was found the fragment of a cross, on which was quite distinctly seen the crucified figure, and interesting results 6 61 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

might follow a little judicious digging at this spot, as it is rumoured that drains in the neighbourhood have been covered with flat stones found here.

Postscript.—Since I wrote what precedes, my attention has been directed by Mr Joseph Anderson to the following passage in Adamnan's Life of St Columba :—" .... ubi pro stramine nudam habebat petram, et pro pulvillo lapidem, qui hodieque quasi quidam juxta sepulcruni ejus titulus stat monumenti." 1 ... The translation of this passage in the Life of St Columba, by the Bisho f Brechino p s thui , s given :—" ... bara .d ewher ha fla e gh e for his couch, and for his pillow a stone, >vhich stands to this day as a kin monumenf do t besid s grave.ehi " 2 The question naturally arises—Can. the stone I have described be the ' pillow to which Adamnan refers 1 If this .could be proved, it would cer- tainly be a stone of great interest. It would be of still greater interest if t couli alse db o shown tha t too saini t e bod e place th kth th f t yf eo whe o n removed.s wa certais i t i t I hav3o n t e bee relina c hel grean di t veneration. Reeves tells us that the stone pillow of St Kiaran of Clonmacnois existed monastere th n i y whe "venerates written s lifs wa nehi wa d an , all.y db " 4 A still more worshipful esteem was sure to be accorded to the pillow of St Columba ; and if it was not buried out of sight—taking the place of e saint'th s s grave—ibodhi n yi s probabli t e tha shoule w t d t i hea f o r eithe a reli s a cr remainin s havinlonan ga i r o , g been remove somo dt e such place, as Kells or Dunkeld. Petrie states that the penitential t ColumbS f o d abe still s housexist hi Kells• t n a i es 5—a flat stone fee6 foot1 lond t thickgan e lear W n. nothing, however fate f th eo f o , sacree th d pillow r shoulno , e expecdw learo t t n anythint ga , abouif , it t e saint'e timth th f eo s enshrinement longeo n ,s wher wa require t i n o dt s gravstana "hi titulus n a edo s monumenti, t tooe i "e plac th th k f eo translated grav e bodth en yi itself. trus i et I tha late Josepr th teD h Kobertson ingeniously, raise dtheora y that the stone pillow was among those relics of St Columba which Ken-

1 Reeves' Vita Saneti Coluinbte, pp. 233-4. 2 Historians of Scotland, vol. vi., p. 97. eighte th f o h 3 d centuryAbouen e th t . 4 Reeves . cit. . 233op p , , footnote. 5 Round Towers, p. 426.; and Reeves, op. cit. p. 233. VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 617

neth MaoAlpin transporte nintScone o dt th hn ei centurys thad wa t an i ,t ther efamoue useth s da s coronatio nt Westminster a stonw r eno M t Bu . Sken conclusivels eha y shown that thise theort tenahle,ar e no w s yi d 1an really left without any tradition as to what became of the stone pillow, though we can have little doubt that to few of the relics of the saint would so much sanctity be attached.3

(t>) Pillow Stonese Gravesth n i f Saintly o Persons.—The referency b e

1 The Coronation Stone, by W. F. Skene, Edin. 1869, pp. 24-26. 2 It is open to question, I think, whether the Bishop of Brechin has'been altogether complete in the English rendering of the passage from Adamnaii which has given rise Drummond'r tM o s posteript. There appea some b o ert ground r thinkinfo s g that "quasi quidam titulus monumenti" means more than "a skina monument.f do " The words titulus monumenti occur in the Old Testament (Genesis xxxv. 20, Vul- gate), wher s said—i t i e " Erexitque Jacob titulum super sepulchrum ejus; t hiees titulus monumenti Hachael, usque in presentem r versio diem."e Biblou th n f I neo this passage reads as follows :—"And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Eachael's grave unto this day." Titulus appear severan si l inscription earln so y Christian graves. Thu havee sw — "Su titul. c quiesce . bho o. t Landulda virgo, . (Anziege"&c Schweizerischr fu r e Geschicht Alterthurnskunded eun , Apl 1 Main e . th . No 1855)n , i z d Museuan ; e mth two following:—"Inhunc titolo requiescit bonoe memorise Bertisindis, "Inhund "an c titolo requiscit Andolendis, . (Lindenschmit&c " s Alterthumer, &c., vol . hefii .. v t tab. v.). There is an interesting Irish example too on St Berkcheart's tomb at Tully- lease, co. Cork, the inscription on which runs as follows :—"quicumquse hunc titulu legerit orat pro berechtiune " (Ulster Journal of Archteology, vol. vi. p. 266). We have also inscriptions in which the buried person or his body is said to be titulatus, as for instance in the inscription on the cruciform leaden plate, which was found in a ston esouth-ease coffith n o n Minstee t sidth f eo r Clos t Lincolnea 1847,'ann i , d which runs thus :—CORPUS : SIFORDI : PRESHITERI : SCE • ELENE • ET • SOB • MARGARETE . TITULATU HiS• JACEe• T (Proce Archseologth f o . . Institute, Lincoln, 1848 . xliv.)p , . The word occurs als heathen oi n inscriptions. Thusa Roma n o , n stone fount da " Ould Pereth," recordin girlsaid—s d i t shoran e i , gn th "t ma F~indicianuslive a f so titulum posuit; od n " an anothe r Eoman stone, foun t Housesteadsda , recordinn i g like manner Dcujualdus,e on e lengtlif e f th ,th e o s said—i f ho t i " PusinnA conjux titulum faciendum curavit" (Hiibner's Inscript. Lat. Brit. 1873, Nos. 326 and 692). Juvenal speaks of the titulus sejtulchri, and other old writers use such phrases s titulisa decorare sepulchrum, d adderean titulum busto (Seu CangeD e , verb. Titulus). The original idea of the titulus seems to refer simply to the inscription. By an 8 61 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

Mr Drummond in his postscript to the pillow stones of St Columba and t KiernaS n suggest notica s f pilloeo w stones a somewha f o 1 t different character r whichfo , , however e Coldstonth , d lonan ea stones might readily enough be taken. In a field, now called Cross Close, believed to be the cemetery or God's acre attache e Nunnerth o dt t Hartlepoola y , over whic t HildS h a pre- side s e abbesearlda th ye seventn i sth par f o t h century a numbe, f o r skeletons were found in the years 1833, 1838, and 1843. Most of them were those of women; and they lay north and south, not in cists, but on e limestonth e rocks, with their heads restin n flattisgo h unsculptured pillow-stones, about 5 inches square. Ove skeletone th r s were also foun numbeda stonesf o r largese ,th t less than a foot square, and varying in thickness from 1 to 4 J inches, with on them, and inscriptions either in Eoman, Saxon, or Eunic characters, consisting simply of a name, or of a name coupled with a request for the prayers of the faithful. The crosses resemble the cross which appears on the stone afterwards to be alluded to as having been found in St Brecan's grave. One at least of those inscribed stones is said to have been found as a pillow below the head of a skeleton, and with reference to it Mr Haigh says,2 that if it were really so found, he " could only suppose that as it is usual in early times to translate from their usual place of burial to a

easy process it came to include the object on which the inscription existed—generally onls a pillara steywa t pI .furthe n thii r s direction which brough meao t t i nt a basilica. Accordin thio gt s view e wordth , s quoted from Adamnan would hav meaninea g like this :—" Wher t i estand thineao y t sgraves da ssorhi a r inscriptio f s o ta , n no s monument"—revealinghi n othei , r words e facth ,t thagrave t thas S th t f eo wa t y othe grave an th f r Columba t o eperson no pillowe d Th an . , n shorti , , fros mit association with the saint, became, in a certain sense, the inscription of his monu- ment, sayin allo gt plainls a , words ya s could say: Hie jacet sanctum Columba. Professor Gedde Aberdeef so s ingeniouslnha y suggeste monuo thate n m s a ,o -dt ment existed, perhaps the phrase titulus monumenti should be held as equivalent to monumentalis tilulus. 1 My information regarding these stones is derived from the Areh. Association Journal r HaighM , r ,Georg . 185-19volM p . d i .e an Stephens 6; ' Old-Northern Runic Monuments, 1866-7, . vol392-39p . t .i referenc hu 7; s alsi e o mad theo t e m e Archeeologiath n i , vol. xxvi. 1836 . 480,p n Cutt'i ; s Manua f Sepulchrao l l Brasses Pettigrew'n ,i 184d an 9 ; s Chronicle Tombse th f so , 1864. 29 . ,p 2 Note. t BeguS 23 h . so p , VACATION NOTE CHOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 9 RAN 61 .

more honourable one the bodies of those whose sauctity was believed to be evidenced by miracles, these stones were buried in the graves of those of the community who were most remarkable for the holiness of their lives, in order to assist, at a future time, the search which might be made for their remains." I give this quotation because it shows that others have speculated same mucth en h i directio r DrummonM s na d dan myself regarding the use of what Mr George Stephens calls " these tiny slabs buried with the dead, and not intended for erection outside the grave."1 Pillow-stones under the heads of skeletons have occurred likewise in some Kentish barrows,2 and in the Burgundian graves at Charnay, the stones were not only placed below, but above and all round the head.3

(i) Objects Found Christianin Graves—General Remarks.—Various other objects have been e gravefounth f personn o i ds s distinguished for their pious lives. There appears indee havo dt e existed perd an , - haps there still exists more frequently tha thoughtnis a desir, burto e y with thos havo ewh e been much love honoured dan d some object either endeared to-them while in life, or associated with the feelings of respect whicn i h they wer„„ e held r calculateo , securo t d a epeacefu l e sleeth n i p tombdesire whicTh e l .e on al seem naturas e hi n b i s o st manha o lt t I . ages been felt and gratified both by Christians and pagans. The purpose is not always and everywhere the same, whether we have to do with the practice as followed in heathen or Christian lands; but there is no essential difference between the idea which prompts to the burying of a flint arrow head stona , e celt a bronz, e sword chara , m stone badga r o , e of office with the body of a rude tribal chief noted for feats of arms or for governing powersidee th a d whican , h prompt buryine th crucia o st f go - fix, an altar stone, a chalice, a formula of absolution, or a copy of the Gospels with some e Churcleadeth n i r h distinguishe s zead hi an lr dfo success or for his holiness and humility.

1 The Old-Northern Eunic Monuments, by George Stephens, vol. i. p. 393. 2 Haigh, Notes on St Begu, p. 23. 3Henri Baudot—Mem. surles Sepult. des Barbara 1'Epoque d s e Meroving, Paris, 1860 . 17-18pp , . 0 62 PROCEEDINGS OF.THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

possibly ma t I y thro wpurpose Coldstone lighth th n f o t eo e and lona stones I briefl f i , y describe object e somth f eo s which have been found' in Christian tombs I hav. e already spoke f Pillono w stones whico t , h class of objects these two crosses might well have belonged, whether we refer to such Pillow stones as we know St Columba and St Kieran used while in life, or to the stones which were simply placed as pillows under the heads of the dead when laid in the grave, as was done in the case of the Nuns- at Hartlepool. To other classes of the objects so buried, it has been suggested to me that the Coldstone and lona stones might belong,—as, for instance e Sculptureth o t , r Inscribeddo stones Cure Oatd th ean o t h, Portable th stones o t r eo ,Altars, , which hav l moreal lesr eo s frequently been interred with those held in- veneration fore holinesth ' f theio s r lives. With other f thesso e objects—such r instancefo , copiee th s f a ,so the Gospels, or the Leaden Crosses of absolution or protection against evil spirits—the yconfoundede b coul t no d I shall. , however, briefly notice all these classes of objects, since they are all the outcome of one feeling, and represent mere variations of one custom.

• (j) Sculptured or Inscribed Stones Found in Graves.—In the tomb of St Brecan, on the island of Aran Mor, there was found a stone with a , whiccrosit n r Petrieso D h 1 saydiscoveres swa d abou beginnine th t f go this century, nearl x feeysi t belo e surfacewth n ai , circular enclosiire known as the grave of this saint. There appear to have been two Brecans, and Miss Stokes2 thinks it probable that thi :ths i s e Munste tomth f bo r saints , whoswa y da e f f Decemberf o Mayo o y h t da ,6t 1s whic e e e th ;th th t h no day d ,an Brecan of Ard Brecan, was celebrated in Aran. We learn from her, too, tha e stonstandw th t ho e s nea t Brecan'S r s grav t Tempua e l Brecan, in Aran Mor. It is of an irregular square form, with a diagonal of about fifty inches. It has a cross cut on it within the symbolic circle, and the words i brecani,:sc being the/only instanc t founye Irelann s di e a th f do formul ' sanctia tombstonea n o ' .

1 Trails, of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, 1845, vol. xx. p. 138-9 ; Essay by George Petrie on the Round Towers of Ireland. 'Christian .Inscriptions in the Irish Language, edited by M. Stokes, 1873, 26d .an , 25 figsd , an 24 . , 20 d an 9 1 . pp Par . iv t VACATION NOTES IN CKOMA.fl AND STRATHSPEY. 621 Wit e permissiohth Misf no s Stokes I giv, woodcuea thif o t s interest ing relic (fig. 3). Another stone, much smaller, Fig. 3. was also found in this grave. Dr Petrie's accounte th lead o t s supposition that it was found unde stone rth e just referre, dto same th t e a timed t Misan bu ; s Stokes s give it e dat f th so e finding as 1822, and records the r Petrie'D fac wordsn n i t ow s . Speaking of the opening of the graves says—e ,h digginn "O o gt the depth of about four feet, they came to a large flag of a square form, abou n feen te i tt diametero inscription t bu , n was looked for or no'ticed n raisinO . goit n this flaa g deep grave was found, filled with rounded stones from eight to n inchete n diameteri s , whic d beeha hn brought froe adjacenmth t strand,1 and on throwing them out of the grave one was found containing an inscription in the Irish character." It was of black calp or limestone, water-worn a roundis f o , h form, nearl e sided abouon yan , flan 3 to t inches in diameter and 1^ inch thick. On the flat side there was a plain , and around this the words—OB AB BRAN N-AILITHEB, "Pray for Bran the Pilgrim,"2 or " A prayer for Brecan the Pilgrim."3 firse f thes o inscribeTh to etw d stone s mucsi he secon th large d dan r much smaller tha Coldstone nth e cross. Amon Kirkheuge ciste th gth n si h burial-groun t AndrewsS t da , there was found a sculptured stone still smaller than that found in St Brecan's occurrence Th roundee th f eo d water-worn stone t Brecan'S n si s grave appearo st 1 me of gueat interest, from the fact that such stones are of frequent occurrence in _ sepultures whic regardee har pre-Christians da . Another instanc s beeeha n already referre . o ot d618p n s hayina , g occurre e Burgundiath n i d n grave t Charnaya s , which were also Christian. 2 j)3 r petrie cit.. . Mis138-9op p , . s Stokes20 . , cit.. 19 . op , pp Par . iv t VOL. X. PART II. 2 S 622 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

grave t I wa. s "f freeston o a smal t bi l e -abou incheo tw t s long, with rudely carved crosse eachn so , side."1 At the foot of the wonderful Kilnasagart pillar, there " was a round slightly disked stone t unlikno , e thos eGrange w foun Ne t muc t da bu , h smaller." It has a rude Latin cross sculptured on it, and as some think, may have been buried in one of the graves forming the remark- able circle of graves beside which it lies2 (fig. 4). In the Museum of the Eoyal Irish £• "*• Academy ther a portio s ei a ver f yno small cross—2 feet 1 inch in height —which was dug up in making a grave in the old churchyard of Donauchmore, near Cavan, county Meath.3 From the description this appears to me to re- semble the interesting little cross at Eodil. ' stone Th e cros f Ethelwoldo s , which; accordin Symeono gt always wa , s carried . about wit t e Cuthbert,bodS th h f o y 4 cannot have bee na larg havy e ma onee beed , an a ncros se eitheth f o r type of the one at Coldstone or of that at Eodil. It is strange that it doe t appeano s r anywhere amon saint.e e relicgth th f so 5

(k) Cure and Oath Stones found in Graves.—It has been suggested to stoneo metw thae s th describet r DrummonM y b d d myselan d f might belon thio gt s t thinclas no f objects o so kl probable d al thi I t a s.t bu , ther s sufficieni e e suggestioth n i t mako nt e some allusion her theso et e

1 Stuart's Sculptured Stones, vol. ii. notices of the plates, p. 4. 2 Journal of Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Arch. Soc. vol. i. new series, p. 317. 3 Catalogu Museumf eo , Dublin, 1857 . 142p , . 4 Simeon Duuelmensi . Twysdensap . 7 . p , In digging a deep grave in the churchyard of Ruthwell, a fragment of sandstone 5 was found imag,e e Supremhavinth th f t i eo n go e Beings , hi wit n Agnue o h th i sDe bosom. This proved to be a fragment of the famous Cross, but the Eev. Dr Duncan in.recordin face gth t says— probabld ha t "I y been surreptitiously buried along with bode th f someyo , votare Churcth f yo f Eome o h , fro ma superstitiou s s belieit n i f supernatural virtues" (ArehiEologia Scotica, . 319)volp . .iv . VACATION NOTES IN CEOMAK AND STRATHSPEY. 623 stones desirable, especiall s they a e sometimeyar s foun n gravesi d d an , hav e crosth e s sculpture n themo d . For e instance th e tol n ar i d e w , life of St Declan, that a small stone was sent to him from heaven while he was saying mass in a church in Italy. It came through the window and rested on the altar. It was called Duivhin Deaglain or Duivh-mhion Deaglain, that is, Declan's Black Eelic. It performed many miracles durin s lifehi g , being famou r curinfo s g sore eyes, headaches, &c.; and is said to have been found in his grave, sometime I think during last century. Its size is 2£ x If inches, and on one side there is a Latin cross, incised and looped at the top. At the bottom of the stem of this cross there is another small Latin cross, On the other side of the stone there is a circle 1|- inch in diameter, and 6 holes or pits.1 pointe Th f interesso findine t th curhera e f ego ar stone buried with a saint and the occurrence on it of a cross tastefully sculptured.2

1 Kilkenny Arch. Soo. Journal, Mr Fitzgerald, vol. iii. new series, p. 51. 2 These miracle stones were often believed to fall from heaven like Declan's Black Kelic crose sculptured:s .th o swa notice Her to th t i s anotheref i e o n o — d an , " In that time (1229) there was a great tempest at Cremona, and a large stone fell in the Monastery of Gabriel, on which there was a cross, and the image of our Saviour, with these words written over it—IHESUS NAZAEENUS EEX JUDEOKTJM " (Extracta E Chronicis variis Scocie, Abbotsford Club, p, 97). Cure and oath stones were held in great veneration, and frequently had their place t Konan' S altare on th I .s Chape Eonan i l , during Martin's time, ther upoy ela n the altar a plank of wood, 10 feet long, with a hole at every foot's length, "and in every hole a stone, to which the natives ascribe several virtues," and Martin adds, "one of them is singular, as they say, for promoting speedy delivery for a woman in travail" (Martin's Descriptio "Westere th f o n n Islands . 21p , ; and Voyag o Shett e - land, Orkney, and W. Isles, Lend- 1751, p. 41). Again, on the altar of St Columba's Chape Fladdan i l , therrouna y ela d blue stone, whic always hwa s moistwashe Th -. ing of it procured favourable winds. It also served the commoner purposes of a cure stone and an oath stone (Martin's Descrip. of West. Islands, p. 166). qualite Th texturr yo thif eo s stone, causin gt oftei appeao nt whet reverse rwe nth e might have been expected, no doubt originate mysterious e belieit dth n i f s powers. A strange form give natury nb a stone o t e appears sometime same th hav o est d eha a placeffect t A e .calle e Religdth r instancefo , , near Bruckless e paristh f n o i h, Killaghtee . Donegalco , , ther smala a fragmen f s eo i lstona p f to o te e crosth n o s cairn. In a cleft or hollow of this cross is kept a famous healing stone, in whose virtues there is still a belief. It is frequently removed to houses in which sickness invariabls i t i exist t bu sy; brought back thosd an , e living nea crose alwayn rth sca s 62-i PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874. (/) Sacred Books Buried with Saints.—Books appear somewhat fre- quently among the objects known to have been buried with saints. Befor s deatehi t MartihS n requested that his- Book shoul placee db d predictee tombe breash s o th nhi d n i an t; d " tha hola tblessed yan d man should come from Erin after a time, half whose name should be called fro bire mth d whose figure Joh descendinw nsa e Jesusn th g o d an , other half fro Church"—ale mth f whicho l , afte lapse centurya th rf eo , was duly done by Coluni Cille.1 When the relics of Patrick were enshrined, sixty years after his death, three precious reliquaries were s tombfounhi n i d, namely Cupe th ,e ,th Angel' sWill.e GospelBele th f th o l2d an , In the year 752 a book (The Gospels, now at Wurtzburg) was found tomt e Killian.S th f bo n i 3 tell where it is to be found if it has been so removed. It has a dumb-bell shape naturay b givet i l o ns about i agencies t i inche5 t d an , s inche3 lon y gb s thick (Journ Histf o Arch.d an , . Ass Irelandf .o Pattersonr M , series,h vol4t . . 467)i .p , . The resting-place of this stone is a cleft or hollow in a cross, but more frequently such stones were deposited in a cup-shaped cavity in the pedestal of a cross. Pennant r instancefo , , a tellcros f e o north-wessa littls th o t e f Oran'o t s chape• l in lona, on the pedestal of which lay certain stones which visitors were in the habit of turning thrice round e ,quote h accordin d e courssa an th ; theo f n gt eo su - statemen f Sacheverelo t , that originally there were three noble globe f whito s e marble place thren di e stone, basins, which were turned rounpresene th s da t stones are, but the Synod ordered them, some sixty years before his time, to be thrown into (Pennant'a se e th s Tou n Scotlandi r , Lend. 1790, . 289)volp I . hav.ii e myself seen more e pedesta thacrose th non n i s f whiclo h there existe da cavity , in which tradition said, that a cure-stone once had its resting-place. These stones are often called globes, as those were, which lay at the foot of the chapee crost Oran th "S n t f BauO sa o l . l Mnlay, i.e., Molingus s stonehi , globe," in Arran, decisive oaths were sworn, and when placed beside a sick person it moved e effecteb o t s accorawa it dcuro s n f (Martin yo wa ef d i tit.. . 225op ,p ; New Stat. Ac. vol. v. p. 24; and Orig. Paroch. ii. p. 245); and the white, stone from the Ness whic s blesse t hColumbwa S y db d sen curo an at t e Brocha e Druidnth s wa , preserve e treasurth n di f Kin yo g Brudeus—"in thesauris regis Britdei" (Reeves' Adamuan . e 148)blacp , Th k. stone f Ho sy were Oath stones a mor n i ,e special sense than any others of which I know (Martin, op. cit. p. 259). Those intereste thin di s subjec consuly ma Archte th papea t n Alber.i y b ry Wa t Journal, vol. xv.; a paper by Sir J. Y. Simpson in the Proc. of Soc. of Antiq. of Scot, vol. iv. p. 211; and the Catalogue of the Museum of the Irish Academy, p. 131. 1 Martyrology of Donegal, p. 157. 2 Reeves' Adamnan . 326p , . ? Stuart's Sculpt. Stones, vol. ii. Ap. to Preface, p. iii. VACATION NOTES IN CEOMAK AND STKATHSPEY. 625 e t breasCuthberS th e Gospelf n o to Th y t la swhe s coffis hi n wa n opene knee als th o 110 Charlemagnen f des i n o o o d 4 jan 1 , whe toms nhi b was opened in 997, the book of the Gospels was found lying.2 Other instances I have little doubt could be given, but these sufficiently illustrate the desire which existed in the early history of the Church to bury with those who had led lives remarkable for holiness, objects held they b mveneration i associated nan d with their wor hopesd kan .

(m) Leaden Crosses found in Tombs.—L'Abb^ Cochet, in his " Se'- pultures Gauloises,"3 devotes a chapter to a practice of burying crosses of absolution with the dead which existed during the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries in Normandy, France, and England. These crosses were usually made of lead, and they varied in size from 8 to 20 centimetre n theii s r longest diameter. They affecte e Greeth d k form,

Fig. 5.

and, as Cochet points out, closely resembled in style the consecration crosses which appear on the walls of sacred buildings both in this country and on the Continent. He says, too, that their style corresponds to that 1 Raine, pp. 76 and 78. 2 Stuart's Sculpt. Stones, vol. ii. Ap. to Pref. p. iii. Sepultures Gauloise, Komaines, Franques, et'Normandes, par M. L'Abbe Cochet, Paris3 , 1857, cli. xiii. 303-318.pp . ' 626 PKOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874.

which appears in the crosses on monumental stones during the same cen- turies (fig. .5) These leaden crosses have generally some formul absolutiof o a n written on them. In England they have been found at Lincoln, Chichester, and Bur t Edmund.yS rulea s ,A thes1 e differ somewha forn inscripi td man - tion from those foun Normandy—thn di e crosses being rather Latin than Greek, and having on them, instead of a formula of absolution, the words, "Crux Christi triuniphat," and "Crux Cliristi pellit Moslem" (fig. 6).

Fig. 6.

One of those, however, found at Bury St Edmund is exactly of the same e Normandtypth s ea y crosses d veran ,y closely resemblese somth f o e consecration crosses on old ecclesiastical buildings. To show this resem- blanc eI reproduc e herconsecratioe th e f woodcuto o tw f no s ciosse s which

1 The English specimens are described in the Arch»ologia, vol. xxxv. pp. 298-304, and in the Proc. of the Soc. of Antiq. of Lond. vol. iii. pp. 165, 166. VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 027

appeared in the last volume of the Society's Proceedings (p. 379), (figs. 7 and 8). Fte. 7.

I also take this opportunity of inserting a woodcut (fig. 9) of the con- secration cross on lona Cathedral, which Mr Drummond has kindly disposal.placey m t da 1 L'Abb6 Coehet thinks that these leaden crosses were placethe on d breasts of the dead as a protection "centre les obsessions et les possessions demoniaques."2 Fig. The " Crux Christi pellit hosteme th n o " English specimens leaves little doubt that this is a correct view of their purpose. learne W , too, from M. Coehee t d tha. M t Gerville recounts of Pe'pin-le-Bref that he ex- pressed a wish to be buried face down, with a cross beloauthoe faces th w d alshi n -an o o; rity of M. Ernest Feydeau, that Hugh Capet's e e buriet Porcb S th f o n t o hi d wis s wa h Denit no o s d wita cross s e facn hi hW o e . know whethe thesn ri e case crossee sth s wer stonf eo metalr eo .

For another specimen of a consecration cross see E. N. Shaw's " Sketches from 1 Continent,e th " plat. e83 Professor Duns has suggested to me that small crosses in graves might be placed 2 ther indicatins ea ga persisten t e appeadecease th s friendgreat e hi y th b lr o o dt s ground of hope; and he tells me, in illustration of this idea, that in Thibet, when men or women come of age, they choose a smooth stone from the bed of a stream, engrave 628 PROCEEDING SOCIETY,-APKIE TH F SO , 1871L13 . (n) Portable Altars.—It has also been suggested to me that the Coldstone cross migh portablea e b t altar, objecn a t whic hhiga h autho- rit e raresyth allege e tb articlo st f churco et me he b furnitur o t w no e with.1 It is often confounded with the super-altar, a term which desig- nates an entirely different object of sacred use. A portable altar, in fact, is perfectly described by its name, being an altar which can be easily carried about. Bede, who lived in the eighth century, says, that the two Ewalds offere hole th d y sacrifice masth f so e dailconsecrate a n yo d table which they carried abou t e twelfttilth tno l d s witan K wa h t i them t bu ; thirteenth centuries that these portable altars came into much use.2 As late as in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, special concessions to carry about or use such altars were given both to private individuals anearle gilds.th o dt yn I histor 2Churche th f yo , when regular placef so worship were few, carried them about in visiting their flocks;

leavd aan t praye eeveri , Tie,it o t n looking o rr them.fo p u Suc s sen stonha ha te eh t engrave i I hav d med eha an , fig. n di 10 .

Fig. 10.

Professor Dun alss sha o littla sene em t stone wit hruda e , whiccrosit n e so h h picked up on the sacred Eilan Maree. It somewhat resembles a stone found in a tomb volfiguref o Rev .1 e Cocliexxvy 1 th d b . f p .o . Arehaeblogique t a t s facIt .e measures 2 x 1J inches, and it is about \ of an inch thick. > Koach Smith's Collect. Antiq. vol. v. p. 109. Viollet-le-Duc Diet, du. Mobil. Francai 1'epoque sd e Carloving la a, Een. Paris, 2 . 187219 . p , 3 Albert "Way, Arch. Journal, vol. iv. p. 248. VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 629 thebut y were chiefly use missionardby y priestspriestby sand , attending armies in time of war. It is clear indeed, Willemsen says in the "Tre'sor de St Servais," p. 8, that portable altars must have preceded fixed altars, since the necessity for them must have been felt during the early centuries of the Church, when Christians fixescarcely an d d placyha n whici e o celebratt h e th e sacred mysteriese know wd thaAn . t Hinewar, Archbisho f Eheimso p , instructe s clergyhi d n casi ,f necessityo e , until churche d altaran s s shoul e dedicatedb d o providt , a etable f marblo t r blaco e k stone, upon which, after he had consecrated it, the sacred rites might be cele- brated.1 That portable altars were numerous is rendered probable by the purpose the y proves frequen e i served t th i y d db an ,t mentio list d thef nol o s mn i of relics preserved in ecclesiastical establishments. There is not one portable m altara I , s a however r fa o s , Fig. 11. aware n Scotlandi , I onl d yan , know of three in England. This is singular in view of the facts— (1) that the e objectar y s which must have been hel s vera d y sacred, (2) that they are not easily destroyed) tha(3 t d an , they were of such a nature as to be readily removed to places of safety. Tn the Museum of Adare Manor there is a curious triangu- lar stone, 16 inches at the base line, 18 inches on the other two sides, and 3 inches thick, which, suggestioe onth Deaf no n Graves acceptes ,i portabla s da e altar t waI . s

Albert Way, Arch. Journ. iv. 241. It was absolutely necessary that the stone 1 • should be consecrated. The 31st of the Canons enacted under King Edgar runs thus:—"And we enjoin that no priest on any account ever celebrate mass except on a hallowed altar." G30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

picke neaCloghanup dthe r Beehivsor e house Kilvichadownigsat , near Fahan.1 e drawinth Whew f thisa o g nsI stone, which appear Ladn si y Dun- raven's hook, and which is copied in the woodcut (fig. 11), I thought it just possible that the Coldstone cross might be a portable altar; but investigation convinced me that Dean Graves had not been happy in s suggestionhi tha d Adare an ,th t e stone specimea 2 e e coulb th t f dnno o autel portatif. The portable altar derives its interest here from the fact that it is know havo nt placea e amon e sacregth d objects which have been found e graveburie f themth o f saintsn r instancee o i ds fo , On . , was found on the breast of Acca, the Bishop of Hexham, who died A.D. 740, when his tomb was opened about the year 1000.3 Another was found in the tomb of St Servais, and still another lying on the breast of St Cuthbert,4 when his coffin was opened. The workmanship of the last leave doubo sn s coevat thawa t li t wit e sainhth t pros himself-wa t I . .bably buried with him A.D. 688. It is still preserved in the Chapter Library, Durham s figurei d Eainey b an d, t consistI . rectangulaa f so r slip of oak, 6 x 5| inches, and about J of an inch in thickness. This s coverei d wit a hplat f silveo e r attacheo t d . 12 . Kg it by silver nails. On this is a cross some- what of the typo of that on St Brecan's Stone, and also a Latin cross. There may have been other crosses, since silvee mucth f rho sheath- ing is gone. On the. wood below the silver inscriptiontheran is eleasrud at two et and ,

1 Memorial f Adaro s e Manore Countesth y b ,f o s Dunraven. Parker, Oxford, 1865 . 155p , . e cros Th n thi2 o s a speculia f stono s i er form. similaa f o e Therr on a forstandin s en i m o g stonn ei the old burial-ground at Mid-Clyth, in - shire, which I saw and sketched in June 1863, aud whic s i fairlh y though roughly representee th n i d woodcut (fig. 12). 3 Simeon Dunelm . Twysdenap , . 101p , ; Kaine's Accoun Openine th t S f o tf o g Cuthbert's Tomb, Durham, 1828, p. 199 ; and Lingard, p. 268. 4 Raine cit.. . 199op ,p . VACATION NOTE CEOMAN SI E AND STRATHSPEY1 63 .

Latin crosses. The space between the arms of the larger cross is filled with interlaced ornamentation. Thero stonn n this i ei s specimena , fact which make t exceptional.si 1

othe e portablo Th r tw e altar o exisst knowEnglane n i tm y nb d have also been 1 figured. One of them belongs to Canon Rock. Its size is 12 x 74 inches. The stone, which is of Oriental jasper, is 104 6 inches, is set in wood, and is surrounded with a silver border, ornamented with xniello (figured at p. 320 of vol. xix. of the Arch. Journal; at p. 247 of vol. iv. of the same Journal; by Viollet-le-Duc, op- cit. Parkey s Glosspib hi . d Architectii.f n i o r,an ; e ,th othee . vol19)n p i Th . s .i ri . possessio Lorf no d Londesborough inches9 usuas a rects i x d t i l0 - s an siz,1 It s ei . angular (figured in pis. viii. and ix. of vol. v. of Roach Smith's Collect. Antiq.) These interesting object antiquitf so perhape yar s somewhat more numeroue th n so Continent . WealT Wr . f BrugesH .o eM . higa , h authority on such matters, tells me that he thinks there may be in Europe from 50 to 100, of the existence of which we have knowledge, but, after all, thi realls si yvera y small number. Viollet-le-Duc speaks of a Olossaire et Repertoire, par M. le Comte de Laborde (Paris, 1853), which contain curiousa s catalogu f portablo e e altars, extracted from various inventories, havI t n opportunita ebu d noha t f seeinyo g this book. Ther onle ear y four men- tioned in Mr Weale's Guide as being preserved in Belgium ("Weale's Belgium, Lond. Cathedrae th n i s i t Maestricht1859)a e l On . t consistI . a piec f so f dar o e k green marble set in a wooden frame, covered with thin plates of silver adorned with foliage. millimetresmillimetre6 5 1 s i x t i 9 sizs 1 d It s esan i , thick. foune s th I twa n d i t Servaistom S I mentio f o d b an , t i becausn s figurei t i eWillemsey b d s hi n i n "Tresor Sacre de S. Servais," p. 9. I notice another of the Belgian portable altars, because I have had an opportunity of e examininobjecte collectioth th f t formI o n i s e f . Reliquariegno on sit w no s preserved in the Convent of the Soeurs de Notre Dame,. at Namur, but which formerly belonged to the Prioiy of Oignies sur Sambre. Through the kindness of Sisterallowee s th wa sI o cop t de entryth y relatin o thigt s altar, which appearn si catalogue th collectione th f eo t runI . s thus:—" Portable alta Jacquef ro Vitrye sd , (Bishop of Ptolemais, who died at Rome on the 30th April 1244), of green-grey marble, surrounded wit bordeha f gilo r t copper e uppeTh .r sid coveres ei d witha plat gilf eo t copper whicn o , sees hi n Chriscrose moonth d n san o t betwee n . su e nth Belo crose wth s tome therth Adamf s beo i , pointin resurrectione th go t legende Th . s ot i ndisclos e relicth e s whic altae hth r contains. s siz inchesIt abou7 s ei " x 9 t , adornes i t i d dan with niellos, enamels engravingd an , . Ther interestinn a s ei beautifud gan l specime portable th f no e altar which belonged to Prince Soltykoff, and which is figured by Viollet-le-Duc (Op. cit. p. 20, 21, and 22). The prince, he says, obtained it from the collection of Debruge-Dumenil, which bees ha n describe Juley db s Labarte (Paris, 1847 . 737),t camp i t e,bu originally from the Abbey of Sayna. It belongs to the 13th century. It will be seen from the measurements I have given that the usual size of these altars runI thin inche 2 . s1 k 9 I hav fro froo y o t t sb m me8 5 rea onef do , however, Monastere th n i t LaurencS f yo t Liegeea , whic smals a inches 3 s h i lx as2 . 2 63 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

(o) Concluding Remarks on the Coldstone Cross.—My notice of this interesting and uncommon stone lias led me into many digressions. The folio-wing inferences, it appears to me, may be drawn from what has been said aboud abou an varioue , th t it t s object f antiquitso whico ys t ha t hi been suggested that it might possibly belong:— ; Ther1 mane ear y small object n stonei s , wit e Christiath h other no r symbols cut on them, about the use of which we have generally a very imperfect .knowledge. 2. Some of these objects have such well-marked characters in common, s difficuli tha t i t o resist te belie th t f that they have serve commoda n

thosI thinf o l ekal whic knowe har o exisnt oblone ar t g and rectangular, unlest si be a doubtful one of white marble, with various symbols cut on it, which has the for disc a " whicw d f m Eneliassdo no an , s hi dans miiraillea l aufond du chceitra l e d Cathidrale de Sesan^on" (Viollet-le-Duc, op. eit. p. 22); but the Lady Petronella de Beusted sais e i o havt d e give a ncirculajaspef o e ron r encase silvern di , abou2 1 t inches in diameter, to the Abbey of St Albans (Albert Way, Arch. Journal, vol. iv. . 243p . Perhap e stonth s t Besancoa e n wa foundationsa stone suct s S thaha f o t Mark's Churc t Veniceha , describe Archaeologiae th n di , vol. xxvi . 215-219pp . . They were nearly always made of stone, set in wood, and encased in silver. In fact, there was a symbolism in the use of two materials, and the practice resulted from e teachinth t AnselS f o g m (Roach Smith . cit.op , vol . . v110)e favouritp . Th . e stones were jasper (symboli faith)f co , porphyry, chalcedony, agate, marble, slated an , t (thje e last apparentl ya specia l favourit England)n ei t thebu , y were also madf eo terra-cotta, ivory, bone, oak ebonyd ,an . Relics were often enclosed between the stone and the encasing wood, but some- times they were enclose a seale n di d cavit r sepulcrumyo e stonth en i itself . Such sepulcra, I hav e see ordinarn ni y altar stone Flandersn i s n RomI .e placin th e f go the relics of saints in these little graves was at one time attended with very much the same observances as the entombment of the saints themselves in the Catacombs (Roma Sotter., ISTorthcote and Brownlow, Lond. .1869, Ap. 403). These ordinary or fixed altar slabs, 12 to 24 inches long, and 10 to 18 inches wide, are sunk into the wood of. the altar table, and we generally find on them the five crosses—one at each corner and one in the centre—representing the five wounds Saviourr oou f cut'od an ,spot e n th whicn so h incens Burnes wa e d during consecra- tion (Roach Smith . eit. . op 110),v . probabls i t I yportabla e altar mad o foret m fixepara f o td altar, whic spokes hi n of by Ledwich, in describing the small room kept for a chapel in Kilkenny Castle (Ledwieh's Antiq. of Ireland, 1804, p. 483). "The altar," he says, "is of wood, and in the centre is a stone covered with coarse canvas, and called the holy stone; it oblong-on a s i f abou inche 8 t, wit 4 inscriptionn hy a s b Gothid ol n i ,c letters somf o , e textt firsA .judges t sighwa t a reliquedi furthen t o t rbu , considerations wa t i , VACATION NOTES IN CBOMEB AND STBATHSPEY. 633 purpose constitutd an , themselvey eb clasa s f sculptureso d stonese Th . resemhlance, for example, between the lona and the Coldstone crosses is very striking. 3. The burial of venerated objects with venerated men appears to have bee ncommoa n practice, thoug t alwaypurpose hth no same e s th se wa ; and among these objects, sculptured stones not unfrequently appear.

3. STONE PIVOT.—The next object which I have to describe differs in character, almost as far as is possible, from the-Coldstone cross. It is a stone pivot, 3 J. inche lengthn si Eeve , whicth presente.s y b hwa e m o dt George Davidso Logie-Coldstonef o n whosn o , es found glebt wa I t i e. s weli l represente fign d. i .13 I am led to believe that it once served the purpose of a pivot-hinge to an ordinary tolfield-gatem a d I that d ,an ; withi memore nth f thosyo e living, such stones often served such purposes in this district.. The Eev. Mr Michie informs me that one of them can at this day be seen in actual somewhere us estate th Invercauldf n eo eo . The diagram, fig. 14, explains the way in which it is said to have been employed longisA . h water-worn ston s partiallei y sunk inte loweoth r end of the gate-post. Another piece of wood, of about the diameter of the gate-post, is driven into the ground, and a cup or concavity in its

foun firsde thath t y canob t n mad Archbishoy b e p Comyn (Ware's Bishops . 316)p , , in 1186, it is ordered that altars be made of stone ; and if a stone of sufficient size canno gote b t , the squarena , entire middle polished e fixee th an b th , n df i e e o on d altar, where Christ's body is consecrated; of a compass broad enough to contain five crosses, and to bear the foot of the largest chalice." possibls i t I e tha smalle th t altar, whicn o h Bede tells apostate uth s e Redwald, Ease kinth tf go Saxons , sacrifice f theso e edevilso on dt portabls wa , e altars,—the same th elargen i templee ron whicn o , e sacrificeh Christo t d , bein gfixea d altar, such as I have last noticed (Early Races of Scotland, Forbes Leslie, i. p. 226) and (Hor. Brit .: Hughes . 287)_p , . On the sculptured stones of Scotland, Ecclesiastics are sometimes figured carrying objectn a , whic generay hb l consen bees ha tn regarde t mighi t booa s bu td a k ; quit e fairls a takeportable a b yr nfo e altar. (See pi. xliii pid . .fig an Ixxxviii , .1 . fig.2 of vol. i., and pi. Ixix. of vol. ii., of Dr Stuart's Sculptured Stones.") stonee Stuart'r th D f o n s i o Osn tw grea t work ther representes ei d wha believes i t d to be a small altar, but these two objects differ considerably from the portable altars with which we are now acquainted. (See pi. xxviii. of vol. i., and pi. xxi. and xxii. of vol. ii). 4 63 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

upper end receives the free part of the stone. The top of the post is Fig. 13.

held in position hy passing through a hole in a piece of wood, which is built into the dyke, and the post turns in this hole.

Kg. H.

There is a modification of this mode of constructing a gate, which I have often see Shetlandn ni whicd an , h consist makinn si e lowegth d en r VACATION NOTES IN CBOMA.lt AND STBATHSPEY. 635

pose oth f t revolv cavita stonea n ei n yi , whic bees hha n made earth-fast. Mr Gilbert Gcmdie has presented to the Museum a stone socket of this kind, whic e recentlh y foun e concavitn actuai dth t i l n s useyI i . circular and smooth, and without any pointed elevation or depression at s bottomit t botA h. ends,1 however e stonth f eo , pivot whicm a I h describing (see ) therfiga pointe 13 .s i e d prominencet cleano rs i t I . how this beeha s n produceds naturalli t i t ybu , suggestey d ma tha t i t depen sockenature e th th n whicf n dei to o e pivohth t moved orden I . r to determine this I instituted some experiments, but they have not suc- ceeded. "We know, however, that the pivot which moved in the stone socket presented to the Museum by Mr Goudie was of wood, and in that cascavite th e s rouni y d smoothan d d withouan , y pointean t d projec- tion or depression at its base, and it becomes almost certain that the end of the gate-post would have a form corresponding to the cup in whic t turnedi h . Again Naire th , thern i Museu s i e ma ston e socket of quartzose, sunk into a log of oak, in which an iron spindle is known to have revolved. It formed a part of the old Meal Mill at Geddes, founs wa dd there an Museue d place r th Grigoran ,D e n i dy H m b . tells me that the cup is round and smooth, and without any pointed elevatio depressior no s baseit t a n. Thie th ss actua n a i ston e s us lewa socke spindla f o t e thirt ythes year wa nquartea t i s centur a agod f ro an , y old, if not more. Sometimes these stone sockets show a little pointed prominence at the base of the cup. This appears in one which I obtained from Cromar, through the Eev. George Davidson (fig. 15); but in another, for which I am also indebte r DavidsonM o t d e concavitth , s roundyi , smoothd an , s bottoit fla t a t m (fige th e shoul. f 16)W o .d en expec e th fin o t tn do spindle, which workee firs thesf th o t n i de sockets (fig. 15) depressioa , n corresponding to the elevation in the socket, but neither depression nor elevation on the end of that working in the second (fig. 16). bees ha n t I suggeste tha e stone m th t o det under notice (fig. 13) could t havno e bse pivoe a gatenth f o t , since complet d swifan e t revolutions woul e necessarb d s foro givd polisheit t y t man i e de th surface t Bu . round and smooth surface of the Shetland socket, to which I have referred, does away with this difficulty. t seemI other e havo thed st th t ean na . beed en ne useon de firsth t a t 1 636 HtOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 187.4. "We are speaking of an implement of stone, hut it is by no means on that account necessarily r woul oldrighe h No conclud .o t d t i t e thae th t constructors of such gates as I have described must be a rude people, of little power ever o , f littlno e culture. This woul greaa e db t error, since good authorities on farming still recommend the principle on which they are made. Captain' John Henderson says, that farm gates should move iron oa n n pivostona n i et sockeMilnr M d et ;an Homl e tell thae sm t the gates in Berwickshire frequently turn on an iron pivot which is secured earth-fasn toa t stone move d iron a an , nn si thimhl e f suno d k en int e oth

Fig. 15. Fig. 16.

the post. The Shetland and Cromar gates were not less serviceable, nor less lasting, nor less sound in the. principle of their construction than these. Iron was not used, because it was dear and difficult to get. Wood and stone were cheap and plentiful ;2 and, time being of little value, farmee th r himself, withou e assistancth t f blacksmitheo ironfoundersr so , made a useful gate out of the materials at command, and, in doing so, 1 General Agriculture Vieth f wo Caithnessf eo . London, 1812. A popular rhyme says that wood was at one time so abundant in Cromar, that 2 t coulca d''A loup frae tre treeo et , 'Tvvixt Logie Mar and Corrachree." VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 637

showed ability. If the conditions spoken of should reappear in Cromar s probabli t i e that these gates would also reappear. Where they have continued to exist, as happens to a large degree in Shetland, we have the continued existence of the gates. "Whe a npractic e like that under notic surprisings i e t i diet w sou ho soo l aboual n t becomei t s completely unknown r involveo , obscurityn di . s happeneThuha thingt w i s fe f yesterdada o s that no t ya havd ha e halo cast about theborrowea y mb d antiquity.

4. COBKACHREE SYMBOL STONE.—I have now to speak of another sculptured stone, which I was fortunate enough to see during my stay in Cromar. So far as I am aware it has not hitherto been noticed. It belongs neither to the utterly heathen sculptures, like the cup-stones, nor purele th o yt Christian, lik Coldstone eth e cross t probabl,bu somethino yt g between; for, I venture to include it among the symbol stones of Dr Stuart—those stones, so curiously limited in their geographical distribu- tion, which symbole th o t , s probably indicatin ran e clasd gth kan f thos so e o whost e memory they were erected t uafrequentlno , y adde e greath d t symbor religionou f t o lI wil . e see. b l n from this tha I tsubstantiall y adop r Stuart'D t meanine th s figure e vieo t th f s wthesn ga o o s e stones. Some of these figures, like the comb and the mirror, are tolerably faithful representations of real objects^—of such objects too as we can easily imagine to have been adopted as cognisances or badges. Others of them, again, resembl objeco en t with e acquaintedwhicar t i e t w h Bu . would be wrong, I think, to conclude from this that they are not con- ventional representation f reao s l objects r sucfo ; h modification f reao s l form are common in heraldry. Every one, for instance, acknowledges without a misgiving that the is the Christian symbol, though it has no closer resemblance to the cross of Calvary than it has Greee a scor th o f e othet e o ekth se letter n l ri al thingsp e sd %W an . , though their presence there is certainly obscure. We know the Bowget or Budget,1 to be the conventional representation of the vessels in which the Crusaders carried water across the deserts (fig. 17). e MauncHous e e armTh th th f f Hasting o eso n hi e conventionath s si l

1 Lower's Curiositie Heraldryf so , London,. 184542 . p , VOL. X. TART II. ' 2 T 638 PROCEEDING SSOCIETYE 01'TH , APRIL 13, 1874. form of the Maunch or Sleeve which appears on the seal of Roger de Conyer 1143-1174n si 1 (fig. 18). happeno s t I s tha knoe w t w what these heraldic charges represent, that is, what real objects, when they were first used, they truthfully depicted;

Fig. 17.

t regardin bu welo s t l informedno g e other ar cannoe e W w s. t tellr fo , example, whether the Fleur de Lis stands for a spear head, a toad,-or an iris.2 M. Eey (in 1837) wrote a book of two volumes on the origin of this common heraldic charge without settlin questione gth .

Fir. 38.

Such figures, therefore s thosa , e cale sceptreew th l e crescentth , e th , spectacle horse-shoee th d an , , though they resemble nothin knoe gw , wof

1 W. S. Ellis' Antiquities of Heraldry, London, 1869, p. 178. 2 Seton's Scottish Heraldry, p. 190. VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 639

may nevertheless be conventional representations of real objects. Perhaps, indeed o rean , l object ever attain e a stablran th sf d widely o kan e - accepted symbo r cognisanco l e without losin somo gt e exten s realit t , d assuminan a gconventiona l form. These departures from truthful representation, however, may be slight in some cases, and great in others. This n facti , s jusi , t what happens among existing heraldic charges e t correctI woulb .t no d, therefore, becaus e cotnd th e an b mirro e probablar r y picture f knowo s n objects o concludt , e thae th t crescen d sceptrean t , whic frequentle ar h y associated witht themno e ar , also representations of real objects, though so greatly modified as not to be recognisable knoe w f wkindrel o Al . d matters should lead rathee th o rt conclusion that some of these sculptures, if they do really constitute a set of symbols, have probably undergone the change to which I refer. 1 DC Stuart thinks it probable that many of the figures on the sculptured stones of Scotland represent articles worn on the person as decorations, and regarded as badges, or marks of office. He may be either right or wron n thisgi , however r boto , h righ d wrongan t , without much affect- ing his general views as to the meaning and origin of the figures. For instance, the original cross was the cross of Calvary. As a symbol of Christianit variouss s wori it t u yi i n perso e formth pendana n s na o s t or "brooch or as a figure on some other personal ornament; it is erected as a monument, carved on tombstones, tatooed on the skin—appears, in short, in every possible attitude, but always as the badge or symbol of . Somethin f thifiguree g o true th s b thesf n kineo y o s edma stones. The spectacle symbol, for instance, may be the conventional representation of a real object, which itself had nothing to do'with the decoration of the person; yet, when it became a symbol of rank, tribe, family havy r creedo ,ma e t givei , n shap a brooch o t ee wearinth , f go which would then be a badge; and it may also have served as a cognising decoration on other ornaments, as perhaps it actually did in the case of the Nome's Law plate,2 and the terminal ring of the Thornhill chain. s ,- The defined and limited geographical distribution of these sculptures gives, I think, some support to the view that they are to some extent

1 I scarcely know whether these views are strengthened or weakened by the fact that we iind non the f callee o h mwhan e transitioi y dth ma t n stag theif eo r form. 2 Proc. Soc Autiqf o . . . 339volp . x .. 3 Ibid. vol. 333p . .x . 640 .PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 48M.

heraldic. e CraigellachieJusth s a t Rode Grants e lankeepe th th f do o st , so these symbols may be confined to the lands of the tribes who used them. They are not found here, there, and everywhere; but are restricted to a well-defined and limited region—a region which we can easily imagine to have-been peopled by many tribes and families under one great chief. No studn onca e y them without feeling that they giv mucs ea hl scopal r fo e sort f familo s y distinctions—for differences, cadencies, augmentations, abatements whad an , t y not—a heraldie an th r o o n sd c ow charge r ou f o s sceptre timeTh .e alonevarious it n i , s forms, could accomplish marvels in this direction. In the whole range of Scotch antiquities there is nothing perhaps of greater interest than these singular sculptures, which' have been made so fully known to the world by Dr Stuart. If they were really of the natur f badgeo e r cognisanceso s t i follow, s that amon a gmor r leso e s primitive peopl a esomewha t perfect syste f heraldrmo y must have been elaborated—to be completely forgotten in the course of a few centuries. The stone which has led to these remarks stands in a field behind the House of Corrachree. I had as my companion during several long walks in Cromar our Corresponding Member, the Eev. Mr Michie; and one day he told me that he had recently been informed by an old man of the district, tha thin i t s field there stoo stonda e wit hcirculaa r t figuri n o e resemblin a ggridiron r MichiM d neve. ha e r see stonee n th t nexbu ; t day, along with him and Mr Coltman of Blelack, I walked to Corrachree, and without much difficulty we found the stone. We stood beside it for a considerable timo loweetw beforre e figureth e madth t w ef ou o es sketch (fig. 19), though when once seen the quite yar e distinct.1 A sI hav e said stone th , standings eneverthelesi s i t i t bu , fragmentsa , the rough sketch (fig. 19) indicating the large portion, which is now away. It is a stone of considerable size,'being more than 4 feet wide at the base, and about 5 feet high and 2 feet thick. lefe t withoui W t t bein figury gan et abl i whic o fint en o d h bor- ere semblance to a gridiron; but a day or two after, it was revisited by Mr

same Th e figure appear havo t s e been repeate e stoneth n ,o d which , thougn ha 1 unknowunusualn a t no s i n, occurrence correcm a I n classini f tI . g this stone with Dr Stuart's symbol stones, 'it probably adds a new figure to the symbols. VACATION NOTES IN CKOMA.R AND STRATHSPEY. 641

Michie and myself, and then we made out a circular figure at the top of stonee th , whic hI hav e endeavoure indicato t e sketchde th th t n i ebu ; weathering of centuries has made it so obscure that I scarcely like to risk a description. When I say that it appeared to me to be a circular figure with curved lines radiating from the centre to the circumference, I have venturn ca I saisay. o l et dal 1

Fig. 19.

5. CUP STONE.—Behind the church of Migvie, on the road-side near a kiln, there is a sculptured stone of a very different character from the little cross in the Churchyard (fig. 1), or the symbol stone at Corrachree (fig. 19). It is one of Sir James Simpson's cup stones, and hin i s m " hi Archais allude i y t b i o t dc e Sculpturings,on t A . 67 . "p place four of the cups are joined so as to form a sort of cross, and at others two and three are joined; but all this is the work of a late hand weathere e stonth th e fac n f owhicf o o reTh o e e cup. th h s occus i r irregularly triangular s longesit d an t, measuremen abous i t e feet3 tTh . thickness of the stone is about 16 inches.

Ther stona s ei e e housefarm-steadin e builth th f f o t o s e inte gablon th o f o eg whic1 h hears the date 1611. 642 PROCEEDINGS SOCIETYE TH F O . , APRI , 187*L13 .

The following woodcut is from a rough sketch and rubbing made by myself. Fig. 20.

There are many of these cup stones in Scotland, the existence of which is still unrecorded. Dr Batty Tuke tells me there is one on a moor forming part of Loch malonie parise farmth Logief n i h,o , Fifeshire. Junn I e 187 r JameD 0 s Howde , wheI d nnan visiting Caterthun, found vera y large one, broken intparts o south-wes e lyind otw th an ,t ga t part of the second ring of stones forming the fort. Its length was 5 feet 9 inches, and its greatest breadth about 3 feet. There was no evidence that it had ever been a standing stone, nor that it had formed a part of a cist. One of the fragments—the lighter one—was turned over by Dr Howden at a subsequent visit, but no cups were found on the under side I hav. e drawing f thio s s stone r HowdenmadD y b et bu , it is', unnecessary to give them here, as the stone is figured (Plate XI.y Misb ) s Maclagan e Hil r worth lhe n o Fortskn i , , Stone Circles, &c., which has recently been published. So far as I am aware, this e onlth ys i instanc whicn i e ha sculpture d ston f thieo s kind r indeeo , d kindy obees an f ha , n foun n connectioi d n with suc ha hil l for thas a t t at Caterthun. VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 3 RAN 64 .

On a hill on the farm of Laggan, near Grantown, in Strathspey, there is another of these stones. My attention was drawn to it by Mr David Y. Ross, to whose active interest in antiquarian matters I have been often indebted. We visited it together, being guided to it by Mr Clark, on whose farm it lies, and who had observed the peculiar markings on it, and had spoken of them to Sir James Simpson before the publication of the "Archaic Sculpturings," though there is no allusion to the stone in that work. It is a huge mass of mica schist almost earth-fast. The top is flattish 4 feed measure1 tan , o t across thin 2 1 O ss .surfac e there are, as counte r Ross M cups 3 y 5 ,d b . Near Corriemony Glen i , n TJrquhart , e road-sideclosth o et , thera s i e cair considerablf no e size opportunitn ,a whicd ha hI f visitinyo gdozea n years ago or more. It is surrounded by two circles of standing stones, f theso e e th e on f stoneo n o p d to p markingss an e thercu th e n ear O . cairn ther larga s ei e flat stone whicn o , h also numerous cups appearI . made a plan of the cairn, and sketches of the cup stones, at the time of my I recentlvisit d an , y sent thes Majoo t e r Gran f Drumbuieo t , witha request tha woule h t d revisi cairne th ttesd accurac e an th ,tdraw y m f y-o ings and notes. This he kindly did, and I am thus able to make my description tolerably satisfactory. The cairn is between 10 and 11 feet high, and about 20 yards in diameter. The inner circle of standing stones, which are of small size, is basecloss it o et . Wit exceptionso htw , these stone hid e gonee ar -s ar r o , den by the grass and the small stones which have rolled off the cairn. e outeTh r circl s 3-ei | yards froe cairn e basth m th thao f s eo ,s dia it t - meter is about 27 'yards. In this outer circle there are 9 stones still standing. Their relative position is correctly indicated on the plan fig. . Thei21 r average height abov e groun th e4 fee 2 inchess ti d e th , highest bein feeg 4 shortese inches9 tth d feean ,3 t inches5 t . The stone on which the cups appear stands on the N.W. side of the circle. Its position on the plan is marked by an asterisk. It is 4 feet 7 inches high, 2 feet 4 inches broad, and 7 inches thick. The cups are on the face of the stone which looks away from the cairn. othee stonp Th a largcu rs i e e flag fee8 , t long fee4 , t 6 broad1 d an , inches thick. It lies loosely on the very top of the cairn, but it appears that it was placed in its present position in 1830. When Mr Ogilvy 644 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, A PHIL 13/1874. bought the lands of Corriemony it lay on the west side or slope of the cairn, abou fee7 t t fro e topmth . These two stones are shown in the woodcuts figs. 22 and 23, from

Kg. 21. •Fig. 22 .

rough sketches made by myself, and compared with the originals by Major Grant.

Fig. 23.

Afte r Davistonep visited M rcu t ha Laggand e -a T th dRos d e san h , VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 5 RAN 64 .

wrotheard thaha e de m h t fro r M'BaimM f Auchterblaino hugo tw e f ro granite boulders, situated on a shelving rock over an abyss on the Loch Avon side of Cairngorm, with hand-made cups on them about a foot wide and correspondingly deep—" sitting on which is said to be efficacious in cases of barrenness." He informed me, too, that he had heard from Mr M'Bai pilgrimagef no theo st m undertaken withi e memornth f peoplyo e still living. I have not seen these stones, and feel doubtful about their really belongin furnishe e thio gt ar sstonese p clasw thef i cu , dt f y sdo o witbu ; h instance—th n aware—oa m a I s a r superstitioufa fa eo s onl e yon s practice being foun association di markingsp n cu wit e hth . There is one stone, however, with which I have long been familiar, and which shows on its face a remarkable cup-like excavation, the very existence of which is known to be due to a superstitious practice. It churchyare th n i s i t Burgheadda secone thie d th th an s, f o leadt do e sm districts to which my notes refer.1

II.--BURGHEAD. 1. CRADLE STONE AT BURGHEAD.—I first saw this stone in 1863, and then made a sketch of it, and noted the interesting superstition to which I 'shall allude. I have often seen the stone since; and quite lately, throug r ISTorrihD s Macka Elginf yo I obtaine, dtastefua l drawin, it f o g executed by Mr James C. Kennedy, a young artist of promise (see fig

Before leaving Cromar r JohSi , n Clark drov ovee hile e m Strathdo o rth lt o nt 1 visie ruin th tkeed f Glenbucket o sol f Craigieva o p e th d an r, whic s stilhi - in l habited. Glenbucke s considerablha t e architectural pretensions e maith t n ye doo, onls i r y about 5 feet 6 inches high. Above the door is written [John Gor] "done: Helen Carnege: 1590;" while every entrant is reminded that [Nothing on] "earth remain t faime. letterse bo Th "s within bracket effacede sar . In the dining-room at Craigievar there are some good examples of old Scotch furni- ture, and a specimen of the Branks. On the walls and roof of the same room there are various pious sayings, suc s "Luha Christus a xme "Posd "an t tenebras spero lucem; " but opposite the main door, in the best bed-room, and in other parts of the house, there is inscribed this rather terrifying caution to visitors, "Doe not vaken sleepin dogs. I observe" e followinth d g date n Craigievar—1610o s , 1612, 1625, 1626d an . 646 PROCEEDINGS OK THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874. r Macka24)D . y also teste e correctnesth d notey m sf o sregardin e th g superstition, being kindly assisted in this by Mr Alexander Fraser and Mr Morrison the harbour-master.

Fig. 24.

3 FEET La-

The stone is built into the wall of the burial-ground called the Chapel south-ease Yardth t a , inche5 3 t corners i s 0 inche t 2 I hig y . b hs wide. Close d alsabovan o , builit e t inte wallth o , ther a hew s i e n lintel-like VACATION NOTE CROMAN I S STRATHSPEYD 7 RAN 64 . stone, 37 inches long by 1J inch thick. On the narrow exposed face of this thersculpturingo n s ei . The woodcut (fig. 24) shows the position of the cup-like hollow, which is 4 inches wide and 2-| inches deep, and quite round and smooth. This hollo s beewha n produce e childree th th y db n f Burgheadi no e ar o wh , habit of striking the spot with a beach stone, and then quickly putting thei rplacee earth o st , whe soune rockinna th f do g cradle e cryinth , f go a child, and the crooning of an old woman hushing the child to sleep, are heard as if coming from a cavern deep under ground.1 It is said that, as far back as any one can remember, the children of Burghead hav ebelievo t bee d nle e tha l babieal t s come from below this stone; and I am told by Dr Mackay that Nancy, the present midwife, always informs inquisitive children that she finds the babies there.2

2. BURNING OF THE CLAVIB.—There is another superstitious practice still existing at Burghead, which is well worthy of notice. It is called Ihe burning of the clavie.3 Ther accouno n s ei f thio t s curious ceremont ya

n Brittan1I y ther certaie ar e n standing stones termed " Pierrcs Creuses,r o " "hollow stones," because they emit a bell-like sound on being struck with another stone. It is a common practice with the children of the locality so to strike them, especially whe nstrangea passings ri e hop th f gettin souo e n w r i callin, fe sfo ga g the tourist's attention to one of the things which ought to be observed in the district. At a meeting of the Society, in March 1875, Mr James Miln exhibited (among other sketches of dolmens, &c., in Brittany) a drawing of one of these sounding or hollow stones, whic f strikino h r Milt showe stonee M ac gnth d e remarkegirdth an a , n li d that as the stone was usually sounded by being struck on one particular spot, there resulted a basin-shaped hollow in that part of the stone. The Pierre Creuse thus figured and described by Mr Miln is at Menec, about one mile from Carnac. It is also said that amon e Bretogth n peasantry, married childe couplear o - swh less, visi Menhire tth moonlighty sb hope th removinf eo n i , g sterility. - The tombstone on which the cup occurs probably belonged to some person of the name of Geddes—a name which is common in the district. On this point no one could give me any definite information. I have not been able to read the inscription fully. It is much worn out by the constant rubbing of the children's clothes against neighbourinA . it g tombston e memorth a persoo e namt e f th o y Geddesf f eo no , who died in 1737, has the same style of spelling and the same form of lettering. 3 Therexcellenn a s ei t r e Macdouald'noticclaviD th f n i eo s exhaustivd an e learne de Broch papeTh n o r e ,Antiq Proce ith nth f o .. Soc . 359.p vol. . iv . Those who woul pictoriaa e d se lik o t el representation will e finexecuteon d d with much Graphice spiriTh n f 27ti to h Feb. 1875. 8 64 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

all so good as that which Mr Robert Chambers picked out of the Banff- shire Journal, d whican h appear s Bookhi f Dayso n i s . 789)p (vol. .ii . I reproduce it here almost in extenso. Mr Chambers says— "singulaA r custom, almost unparalleley an n i d other part of Scotland, takes place on New-year's Eve (old style) at the village of Burghead, on the southern shore of the Moray Krth, about nine miles froe tows beem th f Elginha o nn t I observe. d there from time immemorial, and both its origin, and that of the peculiar appellation by which it is distinguished, form still matter of conjecture and dispute for antiquaries. The following extract from the Journal pre- sents a very interesting and comprehensive view of all that can be stated regarding this remarkable ceremonial:—

Hogmanay An ' y afternoon smala , l grou seamef po d coopersnan , dressen di blue overfrocks d followean , y numberb d f noiso s y youngsters e seeb ny ma , rapidly wending their way to the south-western extremity of the village, where it is customary to build the Clavie. One of the men bears on his shoulders a stout Archangel tar-barrel, kindl ymerchantse presenteth f o occasioe e th r on ,dfo y nb who has very considerately left a quantity of the resinous fluid in the bottom. Another carries a common herring -cask, while the remainder are laden with other, raw materials, and the tools necessary for the construction of the clavie. Arrived at the spot, three cheers being given for the success of the undertaking, operations are commenced forthwith. In the first place, the tar-barrel is sawn intunequao otw l parts e smalleth ; r form e groundworth s e Clavieth f e o kth , other is broken up for fuel. A common fir prop, some four feet in length, called the 'spoke,' being then procured, a hole is bored through the tub-like machine, that, as we have already said, is to form the basis of the unique struc- ture, and a long nail, made for the purpose, and furnished gratuitously by the village blacksmith, unite twoe sth . Curiously enough hammeo n , s alloweji o t d drive this nail, whic ' sen s hi t home smoota y b ' h herring-case stoneTh . s ki next demolished e staveth e soo d ar s nan , undergoin ga diminutio t bota n h extremities, in order to fit them for their proper position. They are nailed, at intervals of about two inches all round, to the lower edge 'of the Clavie-barrel, whil othee eth r end e firmlsar y fastene e spoketh o n aperturt da , e being left sufficiently large to admit the head of a man. Amid tremendous cheering, the finished Clavie is now set up against the wall, which is mounted by two stout youn proceego businese menwh th , o dt fillinf so lighting pieced w gan fe f so A . the split up tar-barrel are placed in a pyramidal form in the inside of the Clavie, VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 9 RAN 64 .

enclosing a small space for the reception of a burning peat, when everything is ready. The tar, which had been previously removed to another vessel, is now poure de sam oveth e wood th ed r inflammablan ; e substanc s freeli e y used, while the barrel is being closely packed with timber and other combustible materials, that rise twelve or thirteen inches above the rim. ' By this time the shades of evening have begun to descend, and soon the subdued murmu e crowth f o rd breaks forth intloude oon , prolonged cheers a , the youth who was despatched for the fiery peat (for custom'says no sulphurous lucifer pateno n , t congreve, dare approach withi e sacreth n d precincte th f o s Clavie) arrives with his glowing charge. The master-builder relieving him of his precious trust, places it within the opening already noticed, where, revived by a hot blast from his powerful lungs, it ignites the surrounding wood and tar, which quickly bursts int oflamea . Durin shore gth t tim e fireth e is alloweo dt gather strength, cheers are given in rapid succession for ' The Queen,' ' The Laird,' ' The Provost,'' The Town,' ' The Harbour,' and ' The Eailway,' and then Clavie-bearer number one, popping his head between the staves, is away with his flaming burden. Formerly the clavie was carried in triumph round every vessel harboure th handfu a n i d an grai,f o l n thrown into each orden i , insuro t r e suc- comine th ces r sfo g year;this a st ceremone parth .bu f o t y tediouse camb o t e , it was dropped, and the procession confined to the boundaries of the town. As fas t heavs ashi y load will permit himbearee th , r hurries alon e well-knowgth n route, followed by the shouting Burgheadians, the boiling tar meanwhile trick- ling dow n dari n k sluggish dange e streamth f s i o l r ove r s al sback hi rNo . scalding the only one he who essays to carry the Clavie has to confront, since the least stumbl s sufficieni e o destrot t s equilibriumyhi . Indeed, this untoward time eventon e dirt a looke a , s ea calamityn do , foretelling disaste placee th o rt , certaid an n e e bearecoursdeatth th f o nexn ht i o er t year t unfrequentlno , y occurs. Having reache e junctio streetso dth tw f e carrieClavie o nth ,th f eo r is relieved; and while the change is being effected, firebrands plucked from the barrel are thrown among the crowd, who eagerly scramble for the tarry treasure e possessio th d ,deeme ol f o f whicdsura no s ehwa safeguard against all unlucky contingencies. Again the multitude bound along; a

on the top. Cheer after cheer rises from the crowd below, as the efforts made to increase the blaze are crowned with success. 'Though formerly allowe e o remaiDoorit dth e wholn o th en e nighte th , Clavie is now removed when it has burned about half an hour. Then comes the most exciting scene of all. The barrel is lifted from the socket, and thrown down on the western slope of the hill, which appears to be all in one mass of flame—a stat matterf eo s that does not, however, preven e spo a rustth n i t o ht searc embers f stouhinstantlo o n Tw tme . y seizin fallee gth n clavie, attempo t demolis grounde dashiny b th t ho i t t gi : whicsooneo n s hi r accomplished than finaa l charg s madei e amon e blazinth g g fragments, thae snatchear t n i p du total, in spite of all the powers of combustion, in an incredibly short space of time. • presene 'Uth o pt t moment origie th , thif no s peculiar custo s minvolvei d in the deepest obscurity. Some would have us to believe that we owe its introduc- tion to the Romans ; and that the name Clavie is derived from the Latin word clavus, nail—witchea s being frequentl o deat t a barre t n hi ypu l stuck fulf o l iron spikes fror o ; m clavis, a key—th e right being instituted when Agricola discovered that Ptoroton, i.e., Burghead, afforded the grand military key to .the nort Scotlandf ho s welA .l might these wild speculators have rtmarked that Doorie, which may be spelled Durie, sprang from durus, cruel, on account of the bloody ceremony celebrated on its summit. Another opinion has been boldly advance partye e effecth on o y t ,td b thae clavith t s Scandinaviai e n i n origin, being introduce Norwegiae th y db n Vikings, durin shore gth t time they held the promontory in the beginning of the eleventh century, though the theorist advances nothing to prove his assumption, save a quotation from Scott's Mar- mion; while crowo t , n hav e all w liste,o e t stor a o nt y than t bearow facs it s eit n so condemnation, invente confiro dt beliee mth f tha certaia t n witch, yclep ' Kittt y Clavers,' bequeathe singulae namr th dhe o et r rite. Unfortunately l externaal , l evidence bein compellee g ar lost e w , relo dt y entirel e internalth n yo , whice w h have little hesitation, however n sayini , g points'i unmistakabln na e manner down throug lone hth g r vistanationaou f so l histor whero yt - e mistob th e f o s scurity hang around the Druid worship of our forefathers. It is well known that the elements of fire were often present in Druidical orgies and customs (as witness their cran-tara); whil s universalli t ei y admitted thae bonfireth t f o s May-day and Midsummer-eve, still kept up in different parts of the country, are vestige clavi tooe shoulo thesf y s so th ,t e wh eseeinb d no d rites An g . that i t bears throughout the stamp of a like parentage ? The carrying home of the embers protectioa s a , n fro ille lifemf th so wels a ,s othe a l r e cerepartth f -o s mony, finds a counterpart in the customs of the Druids; and though the time of observanc somewhae eb t different t theno -, y samyema t e causes (now unknown VACATION NOTES IN CROMAK AND STRATHSPEY. (J51

ones) that hav greatlo es y modifie Clavie th d e have likewise operate alterinn di g the date, which, after all, occurs at the most solemn part of the Druidical year ?"'

The observance of this superstitious ceremony had for its main object securo t fruitfulnese eth industre th e place—if th o s f yo n other wordso t , secure a good fishing. There is a link, therefore, between this super- stition and that attached to the cradle stone. In both of them the exist- ence of a power presiding over, or controlling, increase and fertility is acknowledged f courseO . thess a , e thing e actuallar s y practiser ou n i d day t idl, bu thee e ceremonies,—occasionyar r laughtersfo , joke frolid an , c —without any meaning soberly attached to them. But, as once prac- tised, beyond doubt this would be otherwise. Even after all exact know- ledge regarding the nature and origin of such a ceremony as the burning Clavie o th fbeed eha n lost, there would naturally remai a nreal , though not an openly admitted belief that it concerned the well-being of the com- munity tha t i shoult e observedb d . Feeling sure that truethis swa , it occurred to me that I should find in the Church records of the district, if thos sufficientla f eo y remote perio beed dha n preserved, some evidencf eo an effort on the part of the Church to suppress the heathenish practice by punishing those who took part in it. Accordingly, I visited the Eev. James "Weir of Drainie, who is clerk of the Presbytery in which Burghead s situatedi d wit s helan ,hi h p examine recordse dth . Eelevant entries were soon discovered d thesan , e were afterwards carefully extractey db Mr "VYeir, who also made a more minute and successful search than was possible at my visit to the Manse. I had also an opportunity, through Eeve r th Brande Johr D . M nd ISTicollran examininf o , sessioe gth n records parise oth f Duffusf ho n whici , h Burghea s situateddi thesn i d e an ,als o 1 found references to the Clavie. From the kirk-session records of the paris Inveravof ho nI als o obtaine interestinn da g entry throug Eeve hth . Dr. Sellar of Aberlour. It was extracted for me by Mr Adam Myron, e session-clerkth . d previousl-ha I y heart i fro f mo d that zealoud an s accomplished antiquary r RoberM , t Youn f Elgingo I hav. acknowo et - ledge my great indebtedness to all these gentlemen, but especially to Mr Weir.1 1 In most of the following extracts the words contracted or given in obsolete char- acters are not written out, q being used for con, ij for th, &c. The other signs are use tlics da y appea MSSe th n .i r 2 65 'PBOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874.

• ... - Extracts from Records of Presbytery of Elgin. (1.) Elgine Jar 11.1655 Conveened Mor & remnant members &c Th regraa e y Sdda t maid by.Mrs All: Saunder a Cbllacd s W& e r Campbell .auent some of their Seamen who superstitiously caried fyrr torches about ther boats presbetrie yf Deceo Th lasy r da tserkrasld di e y recommene th o t t i d severall Sessiones to tak speciall notice of all such persones in tlier severall parouhe wero wh etha & l sfoun al t d guilti s aforesia e i should make publick acknowledgmen e samth f e of tbefor e congrega""nth e n sackloatei stano t & hd as many dayes as the Sessioues should Judge ffitt.

" The first allusion in the existing Presbytery records to the burning of the Clavieentre th ys i whic hI hav e just givenwore Th d . clavie, however, e ceremonTh doe . t occu it s describey si no n i re carrying'oth s a d r fi f torches about the boats on the last day of December. It is similarly described in the set of entries which follow, and which give us the whole history of the Presbytery's dealings with a special occasion on which the " idolatrous and heathenish practice " had been observed at Stotefield and Causie,in the parishes of Kinneddar and Oggstown, now known as Drainie. firse thesf th o t n eI entrie ceremone sth spokes yi "s a burnin f no g torches —crossing their boats therewith;" but I have found nothing to show tha wore th t d crossing speciay an her s le ha significance .

(2.) Januarie . 16719 0 Conveene brethre& B dL n

e c e r

Concerning y refe anent y fishers wHu the parish of Kinneddor M Michael

Ouming reported y* haveing qveened these persons following John Edward Wm Innes Wm Hesben Thomas Edward & John Tam in Stotefold with Alex r Jafrae n Causii e befo Sessioe th r f Kinneddoo n f yo m l haveinal & r g acknowledge& d

qfessed yr Idolatrous & heathnish practise of burning torches crossing y1' boats

e r d

yi'wt "upon y e Las Decembef o t r last They were remitted from y Session & fs

s d sumoned to this meeting f sr persons being once called & not compeariug are ordained to be sumoned pro 2° The sd M1' Michael humblie intreated y* ye

obliga~ t passeac emitten& & d d agains upo& t n A.lexr Inne Kinneddon si & r

r a W Younm Causin gi suppressinr ef bearing& g doun y« s fIdolatrous practise might be put in execu~n against the frsd Alexr Innes & Wm Young & to y* effect presbytriee Clere th th f ko ordaines wa brino dt presbytrie gth e nexe booth tko t meetin r engagementy t gy obliga~ned san seee b cognosce & ny ma s d VACATION NOTES IN CROMAE AND STEATHSPEY. 653

t (3.ElginA ) Februare 9 167 0 Conveene severalw e th B f L o dl brethren Concerning the fishers in the parish of Kinneddor Mr Michael Gumming

reporte t accordiny d e ordinancth e laso t th g tf o meetined cause ha e dh g

m Suffionds these w*e tounth n f Stotefolo e z Johvi d n Edward W Hesbem n W limes Thomas Edward John Tarn & Alexr Innes for his interest These being thric t compeirine calleno d dan ordainee gar Sumonee alss b a o° o d t 3 thes o dpr e fishers e wtounth tn f Causio e e were sumone o thidt s meeting vizW Youn g Michael Robertsone Thomas Youn Thomad gan s Steel these being called com- peired & being charged w' yr guilt of heathnish. & Idolatrous customs of burn- torcheg yeirein w y n yf ene so mo s l evedeclareAl n d they were ignorant yro& f waiebrethreo & n n accessioi B sn i L n e ha.veinnth yt rtobu g revisee th d Presbytrie book accordin yo gt las t emittet ac ordinanc e y db an fine y b ddo e

ym yt the Sd Wm Young in Causie & Alexr Innes in Stotfold are bound and obleidged for suppressing this Superstitious Idolatrous & sinfull custome in y r re-

spective tounes & the L B & brethren finding this yr act to be qtraveened

a m r r the hole yddo y se W Youn Alexg& Innes lyablpenaltie th o et e yin qtained

Scottb li 0 2 wits t m eacy th owi f hwo h the obleidgd ydi & eB yL m selvee Th s

m r brethre ordaie nsdo e W d n th Youn g w' Alex Jafrae his domestick servan& t Alexr Smit Causin hi e (thes beins ea fire geth bearers keeo )t p ye next meeting (4.t ElginA ) Februare 3 1672 0 Conveened Moderator remnanwe *y t brethr exercise th f eo e John Edward Wm Innes Wm Hesben Thomas Edwar Johd& n Tam fishers in. Stotefold sumone thio dt s meetin 3o tigopr thrice called s compeirewa t i t dno

reported r MichaeM y b l Cufiiin t non gy e presen f thesth eo r efo t wer t homa e e being drave by a tempest from y' 1 own shoare they are as yet ordained to be sumoned pro 3tio Calle d compeirean d d Alexr e parisInneth f Kinneddon i ho s beino wh r g

f presbytrio charge s t breac t hi ac restrainin t no f do w hn ei suppressing& t gy

d heatenish custome practise yeires fisherw hi ne y n y e so b ds eve e s Alexth n r Innes declared y' he did not allow nor approve of y practise yea y* he did inhibit & expreslie dischairge ye samyne the sd Alexr is sumoned apud acta to keep y6 next meeting Wm Young in Causie Alexr Jafrie his servant & Alexi' Smith yr sumoned to this meeting thrice called & not compeiring are ordained to be sumoned pro 2° t (5.ElginA ) March 1679 0 Conveene brethree wB *th e L th y f do nm exercise Concerning the referr of the fishers in the parish of Kinneddor John Edward Innes W^ Hesben Thomas Edward & John Tam in Stotefold being VOL. x. PAET ii. 2 u 4 65 PEOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

sumoned to this meeting pro 3tio thrice called & not compeiring they are

declare r Michaed M obstina d e lAn th Cumin t n i n s o ordainei g o g o t d processe by giveing y thm e first publick admonrn the next Lords day Wm Youn Causin gi e s domesticwhi ' k servant Alexr Jafrie being. Sumoned to this meeting pro 2° compeired the sa W being chairged w1 y6 fr sd Idolatrous heatnish custome stoo s dvindica~ hi stil o t l n o waiedeclareinn s s wa in e gh accessio t i Alexo nt r Jafrie compeirin bearere th f f o o se g on confesse s wa e h d the torches & being posed whether he was comanded countenanced or approve by his maister answered negativelie The matter is continued to the next meet- ing by reason of. the other bearers absence and the sd Wm w' his servant are sumoned apud: acta to be present t Elgin(6.A ) March 1673 2 0 Conveene brethree wB *th e L dth f no

exercise Anent the refeir of the fishers in the parish of Kinneddor M r Michael Cuming reported yt he. had given unto John. Edward Wm Innes Wm Hesben Thomas Edward & John Tarn in Stotefold the first publick admoni~n they being

present werthiy da se first sharpely rebuked r yrfo , contumaci disobediance& e then being chairged w* y r abominable heatenish practise in bearing torches they all did confesse yr guilt in the sd transgression The L B & brethre haveing throughly examined this busines being now after mature and serious delibera~n rip pronounco t e y esentenc e they remitt Alexr Inne Kinneddorn i s W1& m Youn n Cansii g e being f Presbytriconvinceo t e Ac th f breace o do t e th f o h Sessio Kineddof no y modifica~ r rfo yf eo n frsd Scottb penaltili 0 2 s f eo e bearere torcheth th r f Johz fo o s vi ss nA Edward Wm Innes W™ Hesben Thomas Edward & John Tarn in Stotefold w* Alex? Jafrie in Causie they are ordained to go to the Session of Kinneddor to reoeave ye Presbytries sentence qch is y' each of ym mak publick profession of his repentance in sackloth befor congrega~e th Kinneddof no 30y eacs& rpa y f ho o mt i 167i t Elgin (7.A 0y ) Ma r MichaeM l Cuming reported fisher e y*th s w'i e pariss nth hi goine n i h ar n go publick profession of yr repentance (8.) At Elgin June 8 1670 Concerning the fishers in Kinneddor Mr Michael Cuming reported y4 all of y™ have satisfied the discipline of the church except Alexr Jafrie servant to Wm Young in Causie who for his disobedience is remitted to the Session of Kin-

1 Mr Weir tells me that Kineddar is the name of a farm as well as the old name of parishe occupiee th Th . thif o r s farm probably owne e boat employeth d an , e dth fishers. VACATION NOTES IN CKOMAE AND STRATHSPEY. 655

nedo sumone& r thio dt s meetin se 4g th Alex r being thrice calle no& d t com- peirin ordaines gi suinonee b o dt 2o ddopr (9.) At Elgin June 1672 2 0 Alexr Jafrie in the Parish of Kinneddor suinoned pro 2<1<> to this meeting thrice called & not compeiring is ordained to be sumoned pro 3tio (10.t ElginA ) Julie 1676 0

Alex1' Jafrie in the parish of Kinneddor being suinoned to this meeting pro

0 3thrictl e called & not compeiring he is declared qtumax & the processe firse th t o admoni~nt ordainen o o g o dt e

(11.) At Elgin Julie 20 1670 Michaer M l Ouming reported y* Alex r Jafri n Kinneddoi e r (notwithstanding s formeohi f r obstinacie e publicth n goin)w i k ino n sg o professio s hi f o n repentance

(12.t ElginA ) Agust 1674 2 0 r MichaeM l Cumin repord ma g t yt Alexr Jafri yn i eparise f Kinneddoho r hath now at length given satisfaction to yr discipline

These twelve extract froe Recorde sar m th f tliso e Presbyter Elginf yo , Kineddare t thosth bu f eo (Drainie) Kirk-Session also contain allusiono st the same act of heathenish idolatry. I give one of these, in order to show ho transgressore wth s were punished.

Extracts from the Kirk-Session Records tlieof Parish Kinneddar,of now Drainie. (1.) 17 Aprilis 1670 After Sermon the Session Assembling &c. The said day the fishers of Stotefold & Cousea being remitted from ye Pres-

betry to this Church discipline for satisfaction of yr great & gross scandall & Idolatrous custom n burnini e g torcheyearw ne yn s e o Presbetre seve Th n y having ordained y' those psons mo accession i r thin ni s transgression yn oyrs e ra satisfy y disciplin n Saccd i oye An o accordin e arbitrementh o t g f yo et Sessione The Session do yrfore ordain John Edward in Stotefold to satisfy in Sacco on

day & to pay ...... 20s

m

James Jafra Cousen yi satisfe Jogeo at dayes th o n tw ysi , W Innem s W Hes-

r bein Thomas Edward & John Thome all of y tm o testify y Repentance by s 20 . . . standin y pa an k yt yf gil o ma eo e t d pillaAn r 6 65 PROCEEDING SSOCIETYE OFTH , APRI , 1874L13 .

Alexr Innes ownee Boaty f f Stotefoldo ro s , Wm Young owneboate y f f so o r Oousea each of ym are ordained to pay ...... 4 libs In regard y' that they had not restrained this abuse Conform to yr engagement before ye Presbetr e for Th sn y An i y sn6 f pson6 o d l Compeirinal s g yr sentence being intimated unt them oy y acceptin submitting& disciplio t g n were sharpely rebuked exhorte seriouo dt s Repentanc enjoynee& o satisfdt y conform to ye ordinance The next Lords day I give two other extracts from the Session Eecords of Kineddar, 35 anyear6 3 d s later tha e lastnth , showing that e ceremonth ! s theywa n custom.d regardedol n thesn I a s ea extracts, moreover e worth , d davie t weri appears f s usei i e s d dsynonymoua an , s with torch. They speak of "lighted clevies or torches," and of " lighted clevies."

Further Extracts from the Session Records of Kinneddar.

170e De 5 (2.3 2 )

e Also (after sermo e mind y nguardi ') 1 e Seamey d o bewart n d f ol yo e Heathenish superstitious practice of carrieing of lighted Clevies or torches about yyearrw boatsne s n eveo n certifiein l thaal g t shoul e foun db manney an d f o r way to concurr w* or contribute to ye said work—should be put in ye hands of ye civill magistrate (3.) December 22nd 1706

Eldere Somy f o es were enjoine watco dt Seamee hy new-years-even o n n lest they carrie the lighted Clevies about ye Boats as y' 1 custom was The allusion burnine th extractclavie e o th th st f n geo i s which follow have an immediate relation to Burghead.

Extracts from the Kirk-Session Records of the Parish of Duff as. (1.) Tth January 1666 The qlk day the sex skippers in the Burghsea were delated for burning their clavies upon Satturday last before new yeires even ordained to be charged against the next Lord's day and also some of the bnks- men

(2.) 14ft January 1666 The foresaid skippers Andrew . Walter

r Robertsone George Hutchie and Alex r Cramond Alex G-rigor (Robert Suther- land's man) William Steill buksmen being summoned called compeired and confest they burnt their clavies about their boats upon Saturday beforw eNe yeires even VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 7 RAN 65 .

Therefore (according to the [ ] of the L Bshp and Presbyterie with whom ministee th advysd di r e laseth t Presbyteri concerniny eda saie gth d burninf go everif o t esaidiou e boa n th boattclavies x f so tse ma e s )on (afte r their appearing befor Sessione th e e ordaine)ar compeio dt r beforBshL d Presbyterie pan eth e nexe th t Presbyteri beiny eda g Wednesday next

January1 (3.2 ) ministee 166Th 6 r reported that John Pro* Robert Steill James Skein, Alexr Cramond George Hutchie seamen have compeired before the Bsh L d Presbyterian p e where they enacted themselve e undean k r il spai f no 20 libs Scots never to doe the like business again which persons also were referre de Sessio bacth o k t compeand di agai d nan r this instan y Sicklykda t e the ministre & session thinks fitt to doe the lyke with all the seamen in the Burghsea and for that end (God willing) he resolved to goe himself with his elder d Jamean s s e saiClarth d o t kBurghse e firsth at conveniend an y da t take them all enacted under the foresaid penaltie and censure of the church if they doe the lyke agayne

(4.) 28th January e ministeth y qle da 166kTh r 6reporte n i s d thawa e th the Burghsea upon Fryday last and there before the two elders and James Clarke did take the skippers and buksmen enacted that they sould never bume yeire claviek w il ne yeire b s w n li undey s o eve ne 0 da paise 2 r n o th f r n o censure Kire th boath d f keo an t

(5.) 20th Januarie 1689 William Brou nyounBnighsea n i d gla a with others his accomplices delate o havdt e had burnina e g clavie payin ga superstitiou s worship and blessing their boats after the old hethnish custome contrarie to all rules of Christianize and still condemned here in this place ordained to be summoned against the next Lord's day

(6.) 27th Januarie saie cornpearey d168Th da 9 d W=> Brou confesn& t that he went and kindled a clavie of firre and went to the boats but being a boy did

t ignorantli y imitating othertoue th greatef nf o so suce Alexs rag h a r Farqm W r

Steilles forma John& n Farq r Francis Steille's forman John d Marnocan y bo ha

m Elspet Young mother to the s Wa Broun all of them ordained to be summoned agains nexe th t t Lord'y sda d Februarie(7.3 ) 1689 Compeared William Steille skipper anene th t clavi beind ean g posed witness denye n knowledgi wa r e so h suco t e worha k but did not see his man Alex1 Faro;1 who being summoned compeared and con- fesse carrid thadi e eh t mea boae drin casd & tth tdi o kt t sid d drinean k upon the boat 658 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

Compeared John Farqr being summone depone& d d tha 'die h td kindlea candl wend ean t abou boate th t others sa d sdi Compeared John Marnoch and he declared he carried a torch off candles about the boats as the rest did Compeared Elspet Young & denyed she kindled anie light or went near the s founboatit t dsbu proven thers carried wa , an ethae dsh t meat •& e drinth o kt boats therefore is found guilty with the rest therefore the minister and elders does ordain thebefory pillae da mstane o congregatio t e th eth t don ra y pa d nan eac thef ho penalts m40 y

One further extract remains to be given—perhaps of more interest than •whicy an h precede s takei t I n. fro e Sessiomth n Record e paristh f sho of Inveravon have W e. already seen tha burnine e th tclavi th s f geo wa customary Burghean i t no , d onl s generallya y supposed manyn i t f bu i ,, not in all, of the fishing villages on the Morayshire coast, "where the object, however , blessine alway e th boatst this th Bu sf swa go .extrac t presents the ceremony to us, under the same strange name, in a Banffshire paris inlandr h fa object w witd ne ,an ha , namely blessine th ,corn e th f -go fields so as to secure fertility and good crops. Probably further search would disclose that it was at one time—perhaps not very remote— observed widely in Scotland. From, more than one source I have heard that the Inveravon practice was common in some districts till quite recent times, and something ver ystile sais b liki lo t d et i customar partn yi s of Ireland.

Extract from Kirk-Sessionthe Records Parishthe of Inveravon. of 16"' Aug* 1704 t AnagainsAc e t Clavies That wherea t i hats h beee customth n d an e practise of many in this parish of Inveravine, to goe about yr folds and comes

with kindled Torches of firr, superstitiouslie and Idolatrouslie asscribing y* fire powef sanctifieino th e o t r g y r come s onli catteld h an sy qc propel d an r peculiar to the true and living God a practise proper rather to the heathens who ignorane e practisethad b ar o nGo t f theo ty db m y* live undee lighe th rth f o t glorious Gospell Therefo herebe d Sessioth an r d yn di doet h enact that whoso- ever shall be found guiltie of the forsd superstitious and heathnish practises shall be proceeded ags* as scandalous persons and censured according to the demeri yf t shali ro t f crimfouni e b ld edan that the childree yb t capablno n f eo Church censure tha n yi t* case their name e kepb sn recori t d thean dy declar'd incapabl y Church-priviledgan f o e e when e yeararriveth f t o s at d VACATION NOTES IN CEOMAE AND STEATHSPEY. 659

discretion or any testimoniall from the Session till they remove the scandall The Session closed with prayer

The conclusions which, are pointed to by the results of this research int Churce oth h record follows a e sar s :— (1.) The burning'of the clavie is not a ceremony peculiar to Burghead, speciao n s ha l connectiod an n either with that spo r wito t hsea-goina g community. (2.) It is a relic of the worship of lire, as the source of all increase; and the essence of the ceremony consists in carrying fire round the objects to renderee b d productiv d prosperousan e , whether thes e fishing-boatsar e , corn-fields anythinr o , g else.1 d customol n a , s i bein(3. t I )g alread yeary0 o regarde20 sag d ol s da and more. ceremone (4.Th ) always yha s been observe yeare close th th f — et o d a on "the night of the year"—and there is nothing to show any relation fire betweeMaythe of s and . nit (5.) The word clavie belongs to the ceremony, and not to the place.2

This might be done either in a very simple manner, or more picturesquely and 1 with higher ritual, as now happens at Burghead, where, however, it appears to have

been originall simpls ya informad ean ceremona l t Inveravona s ya . Churce th n I h2 Record wore sth d clavie appear lio s et equivalene useth s da torch.f o t It is not probable, however, that these two words are really synonymous. The most likely meaning of clavie is that suggested to me by Mr Joseph Anderson. He thinks alterer o d ol d n fora clivvie,f thas mi o t i t which Jamieson gives Banffshira s a e word, meaning a cleft stick for holding a rush-light. In Shetland the same word takes the form of clivin, the tongs; and Mr Laurenson states that it is still in use among the fishermen. This makes the etymology of the word plain; and clavie would not be thine torch,e th th t g bu whic h carried eithe shapetorce Revy e th r an firTh r h.o n .e i Walter Grigor of New Pitsligo, the author of the "Dialect of Banffshire," informs me that " he has heard the word, but not often, and not for a long time.'* He has ballay an r story do a e sketcn give i instrumenn H e a t i .m nevesf ht o me rr fo t holding "fir can'les," which sufficiently answers Jamieson's description of the clivvie. A modificatio f thino s instrumen parise th actuan Keithn f i i h I oncto e w I eus lsa . mad t faile bu sketcea recor o , dt it name f ho dth whic y eb t hwenti r Grigo M . r says it is known as "the peer man." s beeha n t thaI suggestey b te gream o dt t Celtic scholar, lain Campbel Islayf o l , that clavie may come from the word cliaWi, a basket; and certainly the basket-looking instrument, in which the fire is now carried at Burghead, gives some support to this e origiworde vieth th f wf o no . 0 66 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

(6.) It is different with the word Dourie. That belongs to Burghead. Whether it has, or has not, any true connection with the burning of the clavie, I canno t tell I lear. n fro Macdonalr mD d that abou yeae th t r 1809 the part of the ramparts, which up to that time had been used as the Dourie, was removed, and the present spot was afterwards fixed on by the clavie burners as suitable for their purpose. This makes the name movable havo t showd t e an no ,bee t si n fixea particula o t d e r th spo f o t promontory.1 The fact rather implies that a Dourie somewhere was needeceremonye th n di t leasa , practises a t highes it n di r development a t Burghead.

2. OLD NAME OF BURGHEAD.—Bemembering that Mr George Ander- son, who was full of antiquarian tastes, gives Torrietown as an old name of Burghea Guids Highlands,e hi th n do ei t t 2struci thae km t possibly the Torrie in this name might be the same word as Dourie. The change would be small. But then it becomes a question whether the place was really ever know s Torrietowna n . s "Gran hi Surve n i t f Moray"yo 3 says, " the old inhabitants of the burgh, within these fifty years, called it Torytow Terr no y town, which approache namse neath eo t r Ptolem y gives it of Ptoroton." Chalmers, again, referring to Grant, says, " till recent times the Burghead was called, in the common speech of the ancient people, Tory-town or Tery-town."* Dr Macdonald, who refers to this alleged old name, tells me that when he was preparing his Notices of the Bwch, Eeve th r Gordo .D Birnif no e informed him heard , r thaha de M h t Young, the late proprietor of Burghead, say, that on one occasion, when crossing fro e Sutherlanmth Firthe d th side boatme f th ,o e n callee dth headland thes a , y approache name th Torrytownf ey o b , dit . This name, however, never occurs in the church records. In them the plac almoss ei t invariably called Burgh-sea t occasionallbu , s simpli t yi y

Macdonalr 1D d says that Douri s " ei well-know a n nam Scottisn ei h topography " (Proc. of Soc. of Antiq., Vol. IV. p. 366); and in a letter he gives me two instances, viz., Dourie, a farm near Portwilliam in Wigtownshire; and Al-dourie, an estate in Inverness-shire inclinedm a I . , however thino t , k tha Macdonald'r D t s statemens i t too broad, and in this opinion I think he now concurs. . 165. 2P 1834 Ed . . 3 P. ^3. 1798. •"Caledonia, vol. i. p. 129, note. VACATION NOTE CEOMARN SI STRATHSPEYD 1 AN 66 . calle Burgh.e dth 1 t altogetheYeno t struci s t a e km r improbable, thaa t place, having a prominent and important part called the Doorie, might readily enoug designatee hh d Doorie-town; which, again, migh readils a t y assum e for eth f lorry-town mo r DooriO . e e corruptiomighth e h t f no Torry, and not Torry of Doorie. I would remark passingn i , , thadifficulte th t determininf o y g whether Burghead ever went by the name of Torry-town within the last 100 years, should ten rais o d respect r erosive eou th r fo te actio centurya f no f iI t . ever did go by such a name, the probabilities are, I think, that it was a corruption of Trrepun-ov, and that it got into the popular mouth—remaining a t shori onl r n i fo yt time—after Bertram'e th o t s d forgery,le d ha 2 identificatio f Burgheao n d wit e Urepiarovhth o-rpaToVeSo f Ptolemyo v . Pteroton, or Ptoroton,3 became Terry-town or Torry-town. When the alleged discovery tha place onctd th eha e bee importann na t Eoman station had loss noveltit t d interestan y e peoplth , e would soon giv theip u e r attempts to call it by that Greek name, which was held to refer to it in the Alexandriae worth f ko n geographer. This seems probable t therye , s enoughi e I think, justifo t , e th y speculation as to the possible connection between the Doorie and Torrie- town; and, perhaps, enough also to raise a question as to whether Burg- t possibl e Promontoriuno th heay e b ydma m Taurodunu f Ptolemmo y (TapoveSovfji &Kpov). This is a Celtic name in Greek clothing, and means Cape Bull-town or Bull-fort. No name could be more appropriate or more descriptive of Burghead, with which, in some way or other, e Bullmoss th wa t intimately associated n timesi , , too, which muse b t very remote. Many stones have been found there with the figure of a bull cut on them. Five of them still exist. It is said that in the diggings erectioe time th harboue th f th eo t f a no feweo n r r tha wer0 n3 e found;* and Mr Carlisle, in exhibiting a cast of one of them in 1809 to the Society

1 Vide Eeeve's Adamnan 1 (footnote)e Preface19 th . d p . , xxxii.p an , , r fo , evidence that the place was possibly, if not probably, called the Broch as far back as tente th h century. 2 "De situ Britannia}." Previously Ureparbv had been identified with the "Castrum puellarum, vulgo Edinburgh. . BasilEd e . Liigd. Se 1540Ed " d . an ,1618 . 3 "When writte nGrany b othersPtorotond s i an twor e t i th ,s entirels di a , - yde stroyed. 4 Highland Note-Book, Carruthers . 220p , . 662 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874. of Antiquarie Londonf so , said that " many others " existe t Burghead.da 1 These statements disclose a very remarkable fact. Similar sculptures have been found nowhere else—not even singly, much less in what may he calle a crowdd . They prove I think, , tha bule tth llon o musgag t have figured very prominently, and in some singular manner, in the on-goings of those who resided in, or who frequented, the Broch. I shall again refer to these bull stones, one of which has not been previously figured (see fig. 26). At present I mention them only to show that Ptolemy's Tarvedum, as a descriptive name, might well refer to Burghead. Against such a theory, however, there is on the threshold the fact, that hitherto Cape Tarvedu s beemha n accepte s merela d y another namr fo e Cape Orcas, and this is justified by the usual renderings of Ptolemy. He mentions Tarvedum twice and Orcas thrice—the first always in connection with Orcas, but Orcas once alone. His first mention of it is as follows:— TapoueSoiyx KOL7 1 , 'Op/cas a/cpa.2 This Wilbera s si g give e Greekth s d an ; translatios hi , "Tarvedunis m sive Orcas cautes; same th et Greebu " s ki sometimes translated, " Taurodununi quo t Orcae d s promontoria,r o " " Tarvedum and Orcas promontories,"3, or " Taruedume et Orcas promon- torium."4 There is uncertainty, .if not faulty grammar in these render- ings, but this perhaps pro res little. It appears, however, that in one editio Ptolemyf no Jacobuy b , s Aeszler, 1513 Greee th , thus ki s given,— TapoveSov/j.rj KCU 'Op/cas axpaf and this clearly makes two promontories, namely, Cape Taurodu Capd nan e Orcas.6 t awarno em a thastudeny I an t Ptolemf o t expressee coms th y ha o et d conclusion that Taurodu capeso Orcad tw nan e , excepsar t Captain Thomas; but he identifies Taurodun .with Cape "Wrath, and Orcas with Dunnet Head. So far as I can make out, after examining numerous editions of Ptolemy, reasone th thinkinr sfo g tha Taurodus o hi t tw t one t Orcad no bu ,n an e sar promontories, are but slender. In a slender shape, however, they exist;

1 Archseologia, vol. xvi. 2 Wilberg's Cl. Ptol. Geog. Essend. 1838-39, p. 104. Mone th n .i Hists 3A . Brit. 1848 . xiip , . 4 Ed. 1482, Ulm. In the Ed. TJniv. Lib. 5 Wilberg, op. cit. p. 104. 6 There are two other Greek readings given by Wilberg, and found in MSS. copies of Ptolemy, which may be accidental modifications of the readings of the Codex followed by Aeszler. They are—Tapoue'Sa jZrj «al 'Opic,, and TapoueSav ja] KO! 'Op/cos VACATION NOTE CEOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD RAN 3 66 . capeso an tw f thedi I venture , b y suggeso t e t thae firstth t , froe mth peculiar and close applicability of the name, may refer to Burghead. Beyon go.t no d1 o thid sI

3. BULL STONES.—Five of these stones are known to be in existence. Of these one is in the British Museum; a second in the Elgin Museum; a third in the possession of Mr George Anderson, and now in the office of the Inverness Parochial Board; and the fourth and fifth at Burghead, in possessioe th r YounM f e proprietor.o ngth e fourt founs Th 2wa h n i d 1862 on the south quay, when the line of railway was being continued alon rubbise piere Th gth . h amon beed g ha whic n y takela t hi n froe mth Baileys. The head of the bull was injured by the hammer of the labourer who found it. The fifth was found in 18673 when pulling down an old sithousee f whicth eo n o , h Donald Sutherlan buils dha t anothere Th . fifth has not yet been figured; but Mr Young having kindly consented to send both it and the fourth to Edinburgh, an opportunity has been afforde havinr fo d g them well successfulldrawnw no d the e an , yar - re y presente woodcute th n di s which follow. The bote yar h small stone slabsr so , irregula thein ri r outline, wite hth edge bacd ssomt an k a e parts apparentlyrounde smoothed dan actioe th y dnb of water. They look like water-worn blocks taken fro sea-shoree mth e Th . fourth (fig. 25) is 19 inches in the long, and 12 inches in the short measuremen faces aboud it f an , o t t 3|- inche thicknessn si corresponde Th . - ing measurements of the fifth (fig. 26) are 11 inches, 10 inches, and 3 inches.4

1 For an account of the other old name of the Broch, the Narmin of Boece, see Dr Maodonald's paper (Proc. of Soc. Antiq. Vol. IV.) 2 The first is generally supposed to "be the one figured in the Archeologia, vol. xvi.; seconde th , third fourthd an ,figuree r Stuart'ar D , n i d s Sculptured Stones, vol. .i pi. xxxviii. vol d . piii .firstan . ,e cviii.th ,d second;an Macdonald'r third D an ,n d i s Notices of the Broch (Proc. of the Soe. of Antiq., Vol. IV. PI. XI.) I saw and made a rubbing of this one about six weeks after it was discovered. 3 The measurements of the stone in the British Museum, as I learn from Mr Little Indie oth f 4a Museum follows:—Lengts a e ar , h 20^ inches, greatest breadt inches1 h2 , thickness about 4| inches. Its edges, he says, present an appearance strongly suggesting the action of water, and the same appearance is exhibited on its face and back. It was presented to the Museum in 1861 by Mr Sowerby, Secretary of the Royal Botanical Societys gardenhi founo n i t wh ,i ,d wher supposee h e havo t t i de 664 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 187iL13 .

Thes stoneo etw s coul t havdno e been standin gdiffis i stonest i - d an , thew yho coule se cul do t t have been built int owall a botn I f the.h o m the drawing of the bull is spirited and energetic. The style of art shows great antiquity. The hand which executed the sculptures may have be-

Fig. 25.

longed to a man who in a certain sense was uncultivated, but he most certainly possessed a high capacity for culture. f theso e e us stone e O havt th ime f sknowledgeo w no - n e s i t i t bu ;

lair mannfo y years r LittlM . e adds thawore th ts regarde ki r FrankM y s db a s of the fourth or fifth century. measuremente Th • Elgie th f sno stone I lear s a , n fro e Eevm th r Gordo D . Birnief no , are 20 x 14 inches, and about 6 inches thick. He says it does not look so much like a water-worn bloc e others e describesoms th h ka f t o side bu s ;e edgon ea th sf o e rubbed round, and says the back seems to 'exhibit glacier action. It was presented to the Elgin Museum by the representatives of Mr T. Milne. As regards the Inverness stone, I am informed by Dr Aitken of the District Asylum, that its face measurements are 27 x 13 inches, and its thickness between 3 and 4 inches. Dr Aitkeu could not detect on it any of the smoothing or rounding effects actioe ofth waterf no . This ston Georgr gives M ewa o nt e Anderso r ThomaSi y nb s Dick Lauder. VACATION NOTE CEOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD 5 RAN 66 . probable that they were connected with some form or ceremony of religious worship, which had its home in a special manner at Burghead. And here questioth e n naturally arises,—Can they, like the. davie,e b associated with the worship of fire? Was there ever, for instance, a temple of Mithras at Burghead 1 Was the Broch at one time a place of resort1 for the faithful, who had favours to ask of the creative god, and who were either wholly pagans, or "half Christians and half pagans'?"2

Fig. 26.

Mithras was the sun or fire itself.3 The sacrifice of the bull was the great feature of his worship;4 and "mysterious burnings were practised

1 It is perhaps worthy of note here that the word turns in the Irish language is said to be applied to the stations to which people resort on certain saints' days (Sir Henry James, Plan f Stonehengeo s , &c. . 17)p , . T.iirusachan, r instancefo s i sai, o t d mea nplaca pilgrimagef eo .

2 Montfaucon, Antiq. Explained, London, 1721, . 232volp . i . . I3 n Roman inscriptions found in Britain, Mithras is spoken of as Deus sol Mitras, or Deus sol invidus Mitras (Hiibner's Inscript. Lat. Brit., No. 890 and No. 833 b), that is, Mithras is the sun himself. But he is also described as the companion of the sun—"Deus inirictus solis sotius" (Hiibner, op. tit., No. 1039). 4 His priests were called priests of the lowing ox (Montfaucon, op. tit. i. 318, and Julius Firmicus De Errore Prof. Eelig., pp. 10-12). The bull was saered to him, and " the spilling of its blood was supposed to communicate fertility to the earth" (Bruce's Bom. Wall, third edition . 393)p , . Taurus, indeed s wela ,s Mithras, a l ' 6 66 PEOCEEDING SSOCIETYE OFTH , APRI , 1874L13 . Mithraie th n i c rites." boyso Tw ,1 wearing the Phrygian cap.or tiara? and carrrying torches, one turned up and the other'turned down, formed s statue. hi a pars ritef o Hi t s3 were celebrate templen di s that were subterranean, acd which contained a well, or were permeated by a stream of water. s mysterieHi 4 e sai ar o havst d e been performe n secrei d t caverns. knoe W w that such temples wer n Britain.ei erectem hi o 5dt Onef -o them, for instance, was discovered at House-steads in 1822,6 a rectangular chamber of the character of a cave, with a strong feeder of water on the spot. Fragments of a tablet, representing Mithras slaying the bull, were found in it. The character of this structure, and of other Mithraie temples which he had seen in Italy, led Dr .Grigor of Nairn to suggest to me that the Baileys' WellBroce th t 7ha might possibl templa e yb f Mithraseo s Hi .

was regarde s "tha d e operativ e lorl thingsf generationcausth al o d d f o ean , " (Hodgson, quoting Porphyry, Archeeol. -/Eliana d seriesol , , . vol294)p . e i . Th . bull was slain in sacrifice to him wherever he was worshipped (Porter's Travels in Georgia, Persia, &c., . vol588)p e Tauru. .i Th . s Trigaranus s writtea , n oa n stone discovered under N6tre Dame de Paris in 1710, is regarded as the name of a Celtic deity. The spelling of the word is thought to be a Latinised form of the Erse word for bull,—tarHh, or tarw,—the u following instead of preceding the r (Trans. of Brit. Arch. Ass., 1846, Kirkmann . 132p , ; Borlase's Cornwall, book ii., ch. , .p.16 109; Myth f Brito , . Druids d 161Montfau9ond an an ; ,2 Davies13 . ,pp , op. cit. . 270)volp . ii . . 1 Gregory Nazianzen (A.D. 324-390).—From Montfau9on cit.. op , . vol309p . i .. 2 So called by Lucian and Luctatius. torche f Moutfauco 3Th o fign i 6 . n might almos t Burgheae stanth r dfo d clavie. 4 Bruce's Roman Wall, third edition . 127p , . 5 In two instances the erection'of a temple to Mithras is recorded (cedis, or templum) Rochestern i —p onceu stona g n agai d o fragmene a du an ,n no t foun t Birdoswaldda . Altogether occurd go aboun name e so th th , f teo thirtee e stoneth f no s which appear in the volume of Hiibner's Corpus Inscriptionum referring to Britain. 6 Bruce's Roman "Wall, third edition, p. 399, and Arch. JJliana, old series, vol. i. callew Romae no d th s i t n7lonI r Wellfo g t afte bu ;discoverys it r s 1809n i ,wa t i , called the Baileys' Well, because it was within the baileys.. It is uncertain whether the Baileys or Baillies of Burghead really refer to the fortifications or to the ditches which are said to have separated the peninsula from the mainland. (See "Jamieson's Scot. Diet.;" sup. verb. Bail.fortificatione Th ) e ar s now spoken of as The Baileys. It is quite possible, however, that the name is not really applicable either to the fortifications or to the ditches; and that it may be the VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD R7 AN 66 .

speculation appeared to me to derive some support from the fire-worship burnine referenc e th claviee th n th i d f producina go ,an o et g powee th n ri superstitio cradle th f no e stone. Of thi t leassa tlittle b ther en edoubtca , that thera singula s i e - re r semblance betwee e Baileysth n ' e Welld continentamanth an f o y l Mithraic temples j1 othee whilth n re o hand ther resemy littls ei an f ei - blanc othey e an betwee rd knowan t ni n well. More labou thoughd an r t have been bestowe s constructioit n o d n thas usuallnwa y bestowen do what was simply to serve as a water supply, for which, moreover, its size and many of the arrangements in its design were unnecessary. The burnin clavie th f geo take slase placth t yeare n nigheo d th f an , o t o greae th tw te e year Mithraith Th f .o e y firscth da festivalt n o s wa 2 ceremonies, therefore ,yea e birtdeate d occuon th ran another. f hf t o ho a r 3 The kalends of January, indeed, appears to have been a day on which heathen sacrifice d ceremoniean s s were commo n thii n s country.d an ; there is often a distressed allusion to this day in the lives or letters of the early Christian missionaries.4 One of the canons enacted under

King Edgar forbids among stone worshippings and other things " the vain practices e year." e Hogwhicnighte th Th th carrie f e -n o har 5 o n do

word Bailis, a great fire—the site of the fire or bailis coming eventually to be called the baillis, as the word passed out of general use and its meaning became obscure. accounn a e singularl r th f Fo o t y situated templ f Mithraso e , belo oldese wth t Christia1 n churc n Eomi h e (see Mullooly' dementin Sa s , Rome, 1869 e Bolth ; - letino di Areheologia Cristiana, 2d ser. 1870, De Eossi; and the Eevue Archeo- logique, vols. xxivd xxv.an . , 187 d 18732an n ,i whic h ther e severaar e l articles by Th. Boiler and a plan of the cave (pi. xvi. of vol. xxiv.) The introduc- tion of Mithraic worship into Eome from the East did not greatly precede the intro- ductio Christianityf no onld an ,y wit Antonineepoce e hth th f t ho i begi e b d di o nst religioe th Bomae th f no n world. Mithralie 2Th 16te Septembeth f ho n ao followinx si d ran g days constitute dsora t of valedictory festiva n enterel su whe e tropie dth th nf Capricoro c n (Hodgson, Arch. J51ian. seriesd ol , , vol . 298Hyde'd p . an i , s Hist. Belig. Tet. Pers., pp. 244- 247). t scarcelI festivalo ytw affecte perioe th sth e ide f f th thaso o da t amone gth 3 yeae t th Burg a rf Marcho n i lase y -yeas e Persianth da tTh wa rf . o firse y th sda t head is still on the llth of January, and it is on that day, as the close of the year, and not on the 31st of December, that the burning of the clavie takes place. 4 Vide Sancti Bonifacii Opera, Giles, Lond. 1844, p. 104 and p. 109. 6 Thorpe's Ancient Laws, vol. ii. p. 249. 8 66 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APEIL 13, 1874.

manay olavie "burning, therefore, appears to be something distinct from the Baal-fires of May. Mithraism lasted lonmodifiea n gi d form speciaa n .i s lI mannetwa r a successful opponen Christianityf o t . "t rejecteI d polytheism, adopted a rationalistic creed, and imitated Christian rites."1 It borrowed cere- monies similar to .Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Confirmation, and corrupted itsel ordein f prevento r sprea the a purt of de Christianity. St Jerome says that Abraxas, the name given to the Almighty by Basi- lides greae th , t corrupte f Christianityo r , corresponde Mithras.o dt 2 Christianity on its side did very much the same thing. It tolerated and often adopted the rites of paganism—doing so even with those of them which were of a very pronounced character. It did this, too, from the very same motives which led the priests of Mithras to copy the Chris- tian ceremonies. No thin i r s e Christiamatteth d di r n missionariet ac s without high authority. They merely obeyed definite instructions from heae th f thdo e church leare w ns a , froe famoumth s letter which Pope Gregory addressed to the Abbot Mellitus in the year 601.3 This letter counsels more tha nmera e toleratio sacrifice th f n o bullf o e s worshie th n i daemonf po kno e w wd s tha;an t afte tima r e bulls camo et be sacrifice e worshi e th Christia th n i df o p n missionaries themselves. They wer sacrificeo es t CuthberS o dt t Kirkcudbrigha t 1164n t i tS o t ,

i Bruce's Rom. "Wall, 3d ed. p. 398. a Montfaufon, op. tit. p. 319. 3 What follows is a quotation from this letter :—" Aqua benedicta fiat, in eisdem fanis aspergatur, altaria construantur, reliquife ponantur; quia si fana eadem bene constructa sunt eulta neeess t u u t dwmonuees n mobsequii o i verdebeanDe i t com- mutarigenm du s t ipsu ; a eade n videmno fanta su destruia e cordd , e errorem deponat t Deue , m verum cognoscen c adoransa s locd a , a quse consuevit, familiarius concurrat. Et quia boves solent in sacrificio dsemonum inultos occidere, debet eis etiam hac de re -aliqua sollemnitas immutari : ut die dedicationis, vel natalitii sanc- torum martyrum, quorum illic reliquigj ponuntur, tabernacula sibi circa easdem eeclesias qus fanix ee s commutatfe sunt ramie d , s arborum faciant religiosit e , s conviviis sollemnitatem celebrent; nee diabolo jam animalia immolent, et ad laudem Dei- in o animaliessu u a occidant t donatore , i omniu satietate md gratiaa esu s referant; ut dum eis aliqua exterius guadia reservantur, ad interiora guadia consentire facilius valeant. Nam duris mentibus simul omnia abscidere impossible essdubiun no e m i summuestqu , s i qui t me a locum ascendere nititur, gradibu l passibuve s n sno autem saltibus elevatur."—(Bsedee, Hist. Eccl. Gentis Anglorum, lib. i. cap. xxx.; and Mon. His. Brit., p. 141.) VACATION NOTES TO CUOMAR AND STRATHSPEY. 669

Beyn f Clynnoo t MaiirS n 1589go i t n Applecrosyi d an , lato s e as 1656. t morBu 1e than this happened Christiae Th . n missionaries polluted their ministry by becoming themselves the priests who sacrificed bulls to paganse gode th leare th f so W n. this fro mlettea r which Pope Zachary sent to Boniface, A.D. 748, a quotation from which is given below.2 ThankJosepMr to sh Anderson abl am givto efollowin I the ,e g instanc callee b f whae uncompletedo y dth ma t sacrifice bula th f t o ea l shrin Christiaa f eo n recordes sainti t I .Dugdale y db sayso wh , " Among the lands with which the sacrist's office (of the Abbey of Bury St Ed- mund, Suffolk) was endowed were those of Haberdon, the tenants of which were boun provido dt ewhita e y matrobul s an oftea l s f rana o n r ko other female should come, out of devotion, to make what were called tke oblation white th f shrine so t bulEdmundth S t f a le o thi n O s .occasio n animalthe , adorned with ribbon garlandssand brough soutwas , the hto t gate of the monastery, and led along Church Gate, Guildhall, and Abbey Gate streete greath o tst west time gate ladth e el th , ykeepinal g closo t e the animal. Here the procession ended. The bull was returned to its pasture, and the lady made her offerings at the shrine in hope of becoming a mother." : pointo Thertw interes f e so ear t her e: first objecceremone e th th , f o t y wa obtaio st n fertility; and, secondly t reallno bule s yth , sacrificedwa l , but commutation offerings were e shrinemadth thest d ea an , e were called oblatione " whitth e th f eso bull." With referenc firse th t tole o pointPliny et ar b d e yw , that amone gth Druids white bulls were sacrifice o givt d e fecundit o whateveyt r animal was thought to be sterile.3 The general object was to secure increase

Superstitions relating to Lunacy, by Dr Mitohell, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. 1 . VolIV . Zacharias Bonifacio {A.D. 748):—" Pro sacrilegis itaque presbyteris, xit scripsisti, qu2i tauros et hircos diis paganorum immolabant, manducantes sacrificia mortuoram, habentes et pollutum ministerium, ipsique adulteri esse inventi sunt, et defuucti.— (Sti. Bonifacii Opera, Giles, Lend. 1844, i. 169.) 3 "Omnia sauantem appellantes suo vocabulo, sacrificiis epulisque rite sub arbore -praeparatis, duos admovent candidi coloris tauros, quorum cornua tune primum vinci- antur. Sacerdos Candida veste cultus arborem scandit; falceaurea demetit; candido id excipitur sago. Turn deinde victimas immolant, precantes ut suum donum Deus prosperum facia s quibuhi t s dederit. Fecuuditaten poto ae o dari cuicumque anima- voL. X. PART II. 2 X 670 .-PROCEEDINGS' OF THE'SOCIETY, APRIL 13, .1'874."

and prosperity. The removal of barrenness" was a'.special part of-this general object ceremone worshie Th th . .creativs a f ywa po e power^—the give increasf lore ro th generationf d o d ean * With reference to the second point of interest, it is not surprising thae actuath t l sacrific e bulth lf o shoule rarele dh y made. Sucn ha offering would, as a rule, be too costly. Hence, probably, the offering in commutation, or as a substitute for the bidlU What this offering was we are not told, but it was called the oblation of the white bull.1 At the Lemuralia there was a symbolic sacrifice of human figures made of rushes; and to cakes of flour and wax the shape of animals were given, and these were offered as symbolical sacrifices in place of the real animals, when these could not be procured, or when, they were too expensive for the sacrifice. ' All this, suggests the question—Can the hull-stones be such offerings; eithe txc.votos ra substitutors a r o y sacrifices'? Their great number, their small size, their shap characterd e an simplicite th d an , y and uniformity of the'sculpturing, point perhap affirmativn a " sto e answer perhap. So . o sd the Mithrai ee well, looth f k"o the :fire worshi clavie th f eo p burnersd an , the knocking for children at the cradle stone. From one point of

view all.-the'se" things appea ;bo t erthreade beadon I n havo - .s en e numbee beade th deavoure th o t passin f y srd o b ad string-.throug e o dgt th h Douriee th Torrytownd an , Taurodunumd an ,t affect no o , d however I . , to answer the question. These are discursive vacation notes, and'not an exhaustive research.2 -'...••

lium sterili arbitrantur."—(Monumenta Hist; Brit . civ.p . , -Ex Caio Plinio Secundo—Hist. Nat., lib. xvi. sect. 95 ed. Harduini, Paris, 1723.) mann 1I y place Spainn si especialld ,an cite Truxillof th y o n yi , ther fraternita s ei y who'celebrat festivale eth " t oMarS f leadiny kb n processiogi tama n" e bull,-which, after certain prayers sprinkles i , d wit e churchhth liol kneelo d t yan ,d watele sd ran befor altae th e r whil e serviceth e "beins "i g performed n consequencI . f this,o e n "i some Spanish sculptures or paintings, St Luke with his appropriate bull has.been mistaken by the common people for St Mark.—(Arch. vol. xxvi. 'pp. 221-2; De Ayala, Pictor Christianas Eruditus, Madrid, .1730, .folio . 261.p , ) 2 That there was some place in the far north famous for the celebration of religious rites or mysteries, in which women took a part', we may perhaps infer from what is said by Dionysius Periegetes, who flourished at the end of the second or beginning thire oth f d century. "What follow takes i s n fro mfrea e translatio Periegesie th f no s by Priscianu grammariane sth sixte liveo th hn dwh ,i century:—>" Nee spatio distant VACATION NOTE CROMAN SI STRATHSPEYD RAN 1 67 . III. STRATHSPEY. Can Bridge, in Strathspey, where I halted for some time, was a well- known place in the old coaching days, though it is little heard of now. It is in that part of the parish of Duthil which is properly so called. The Garten range of hills, stretching from east to west, divides the parish into two parts,—one to the north, called Duthil, and the other to the south, called Deshur. Dulnae Th n River runs throug Spee th firste yd hth an , forms a southern boundary to the second. The ecclesiastical establish- situatew mentno e Duthiln dsar i t Deshubu ; r once enjoyed equal privi- leges, the site of the old church being at a place now called both Chapel- town and Bail-an-chaibeil. The name of no saint has kept hold of the place, and I found the burial-ground under crop.

1. FTJAUAN FIONNTAG—WELL OF VIRTUE.—There is a well close to the suppose chapeld ol e d th sit, f stileo l yieldin gcopioua s strea deliciouslmf o y pure and cold water. It goes by the name of Fuaran Fionntag, which may be translated intcoole oth refreshing spring.s s famepowei it t r I f dfo ro curing the toothache, and is the only well I know whose waters are sup- posed to possess this special healing quality. It is said that visits are stil thos y suffeo b l t paiei wh r o dt fro m this tormenting malady.

2. TOM PITLAO.—The nearest railway station to Carr Bridge is called Boat of Garten, and close to it there are the remains of an ancient strong- hold calle Pitlacsituates i m t higdI To a .n h do Spey—th e banth f ko e side next the river being very steep—at one time so steep and so close to e wateth r s saithai t o havdi t e been customare th fiso yt f ho froe mon window e castleth f o s. Eoun e otheth d r thre ee oblonth side f o sg plateau, on which the building stood, there is a moat about 8 feet deep. Nothing now remains of the structure but grass-covered lines, indicating the foundations. These, however, are sufficiently distinct to show that

Nesidumlitoralonge: In quibus uxores Amnitum Baechica sacra Concelebrant, hedera) foliis tectseque corymbis, Oceani tranans hinc navibus aequor apertu Thuled mA m venies" ..... (Mon. Hist. Brit., p. xx.) What are the places or who are the people referre hero t d I ecanno othe y I kno an o t rd f tellw o allusior no ;pro a o nt - minent part' in religious ceremonies having been taken by the women of ancient Britain; but we.are told,—" Apud Grsecos licet mulieribus sacrificium. sacrificare." —(Confess, of Ecgbert, Thorpe op. tit. p. 163.) - . . 2 67 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874" .

the length of the ground-plan was about 70 feet. The width cannot be ascertained, as the side of the bank next the Spey has been considerably eroded. . - . . '

3. BIGLA CUMIN, AND THE STOHY OF THE HEN-TRODGH.—As already stated name th ,f thio e s stronghol Pitlacm To s ,i dwhic h mean hile sth l or castle of Bigla or Matilda. The whole country side is full of strange stories about this Bigla, who is remembered as the great lady of Strath- spey, and who is, in fact, quite an historical personage, being the only child of Gilbert Cumin, Lord of the lands of Glenchearnach. He married

daughtea f Macdonalo r f Clanranalddo s comi ,e Isles Lorth d :f an ,do monly know Gibboas n n More. Thoug hiin hs timGrantthe e had s already got possession of Freuchie, he was still a chieftain of power in Strathspey, and many of the oppressed from neighbouring districts sought his protection. These he adopted as clansmen by a somewhat profane ceremony of baptism. The font he used was the stone hen-trough, which stood nea castle rth eCumine doorth d createo an ;s d were called Cuminich clach-nan-cearc r Cumino , e hen-troughth f so , to distinguish them from Cumine th essentialss it bluf l so al store n i bloodth , ,yo so S goes d . an , is it told by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder ;l but I fell upon it by actually hearin d beeha n boygo a adopte wh , d int ofamila Grantsf yo , spokef no a Granhen-troughe sa th f o t wordse Th . , therefore—o hen-troughe th f — appear alread havo yt e acquire broadeneda d sense e applicabl, b ari o t d e bees ha no incorporatewh e on y an d o t int famila o whico yt doee ht h sno belong by birth. It adds to the interest of this fact, that the man, who* I hav y ebo e alludehen-troughe a Granspok th th s a f f o eo to d t , knew nothing whatever about the origin of the phrase. ,-..'•: Very curiously, and also very instructively, there is another story con- nected with Strathspey, which might have given rise to an epithet having exactl same yth e meaning.2 Accordin r WalteSi o gt r Scott designae th , -

1 Highland Rambles r ThomaSi y b , s Dick -Lauder, Edinburgh, 1853, vol. ii . . r Thoma230p Si . s make ceremone sth havo yt e been performe t Kincherdieda d an , not at Tom Pitlac. * Mr Anderson has furnished me with a very remarkable illustration of the way n whici h similar legends repeat themselves t e possiblratheth no f f o i r, e trans- planting.of a legen o adt distric r removefa t d fro s reamit l homenots s a Hi s ei . follows:— VACATION NOTE CUOMAN SI BTHATHSPEVD 3 RAN 67 .

tion of tlie race of the trough was given to some of the descendants of a

The story of John o' Groat's House, now a "household word," was first written by the Rev. Dr Morison in the first Statistical Account. He adds in a note that John Sutherland of Wester, from whom he received his information, had the particulars from his father, who said that he had seen the letter written by James IV. in the possession of George Groat of Wares. Thus the story is traced to a Groat whose dis- position of his lands in Duncansbay and Latheron " with the ferry-house, ferry, and ferry-boats of Duncansbay," is dated 16th March 1715. Why the Groats should have come from Holland, and above all why they should have brought a letter with them from Jame t sexplicable IV.no s i ,e statemen Th . t that they purchased landn i s Duncansba e inventorieth y borns ye estatei b e title th t th f ef ou f Malcolo s o o s m Groa Waref o t s preserve Orkneyn di , from whic hI thin s mori t ki e likely they came originally. In 1496 John Grot received a charter of a ferry and land in Duncansbay from Willia t mClairS , Ear Caithnessf o l , date t Girnigoda e Castle 14th Marche Th . inventory recounts thirty-three deeds to successive Groats, of which nineteen are to Groatprenomee th f so u Jolvn. n 152I 5 John Groat, presumabl camo wh e e oveyh r in James IV.'s time (1488-1513), and got the charter of 1496, was chamberlain and bailliEare th Caithnessf o lo e t importann . a s begiHenco t wa n ne e h withma tt Bu . the John Groat who became the legendary John o' Groat, I think must have been John so Finlaf no y 154n infefte Groats i Ear e o 9th wa Caithnesf lo y wh ,b d "thn si e ferry- house and ferry, and 20 feet round the ferry-house." So that the Groats were the ferrymen at least from 1549 to 1715 ; and as the prevailing name among them was John, there is no difficulty in seeing why this name should become well and widely known in connection with the locality where travellers left the mainland for the isles beyond. (See Calder's History of Caithness, where these deeds are noticed.) probabilite th Ao st existence th e f legenye octagoo th th f ef o d o n hous f Joho e n de Groat in the locality before it was written by Morison, it is remarkable that it is not mentione Popy db Pennan y f Reayb o e r describeo no , wh t s Duncansbay pretty minutely would an , d have been sur havo et e picke sucp du tellablha e story do.noI . t think it is to be found among Macfarlane's Collections in the Advocates' library; t thabu t migh worte b t h looking into. Then as to the origin of the eightsided legend, the only old story of an eight-sided house is that provided for the Great Bardic Association of Ireland by Guaire son of Colman, Kin Connaughtf go sevente th n i , h century, which existLeabhar-nae th n si - Huidhri and the Book of Leinster, written in the twelfth century, and is published fourteente froth f mvellua o . hmMS centur fifte th hn yi volum Transactione th f o e s Ossianie oth f c Society. When Sennchon succeede presidence th o Bardie dt th f yo c Association, they resolve visio t d t King Guaire, an e "maddh ea mansio r thenfo m which had eight sides to it and a door between every two sides; and there were eight first-class beds betwee besidd be new everlo doorso a yd tw chiean , f e bedTh . reason he made this arrangement was, that whosoever of those that occupied the beds, in ease they shoul df them o hav t e migh quarreh a e,ou t t ge r strif fino le d th dan e constructelowee h readd d himr be r yfo An . d eight fountain thesr sfo e me eighd nan t fountain t wisno h their d tha sfo di e wate r th e twome h r usefo n; n washindi g tho 4 67 PROCEEDINGS'OF THE SOCIETY, APKI , 1874L13 .

tribe of Farquharsons. The story, as lie tells it in the " Tales of a Grand- followine father,th o t s "i g effect:'— The Laird of Grant was on one occasion dining at the Marquis ot Huntly's Castle, and after dinner he saw all the remains of the feast thrown int olarga e swine trough. The nhatca h was opene huga d edan mob of unwashed and almost unclothed children rushed out, and fell upon foode th , fightin clamourind gan largese th r gfo t shareLaire Th d. asked explanation a strango s f tols no esightda wa thad an ,t these little wretches wer orphane eth triba f f Farquharsonso eo e Side whoDe n o , n e o smh e Marquith d f an Huntlo s d madha y a eraie yea th d r before, killing nearly every man and woman, and leaving the Marquis with 200 little childre s handhi r whon nfo so e providemh e manneth n i d r described. Greatly shocked, the Laird begged the children from the Marquis, took them to Castle Grant, dispersed them among his clan, and had them decently brought up, giving them his own name of Grant. Sir Walter says that their descendants are still called the Race of the Trough, to distinguish them fro e familie me th trib th f eo s into which they were adopted. My attention was called to this version of the story by the Eev.

hands of the professors should touch the hands of the women, nor that the water of the hands of the women should be used in washing the hands of the professors ; and feast banquetd an s s were oidere their dfo r entertainment sene h td messengeran , o t s invite them." Here we have the octagonal arrangement as a provision against the danger of quarrelling,—the same idea as that embodied in the myth of John de Groat. This ancient legend, like other Fenian legends, was doubtless current in the north of Scotland, and must have got mixed up with some story of the Groats. The proof is not quite satisfactory, I must confess ; but how otherwise are we to account for the two stories about the house with eight sides, and its purpose ? 1 Tale a Grandfather f so , chap, xxxixe seconth . 398n dp I . serie. f Lectureso s Mowitains,onthe Highlandsthe or Highlandersand Strathspeyof Badenoeh,and London, 1860 . 115 p stor,e th , tols yi d very "Walter mucSi authoe s ha rTh tellr . sit professes to have derived his information from an old MS. history of the Grants. He calls the race Slick-na-mar, or trough men, and says that those of the Farquharsons who remained in Huntly's land took the name of Gordon or of Sangster, and that some of those who were brought to Strathspey became M'Finlay Roys in Culchoich Beg, and M'Jameses in Inverallan parish. The story is also given in Sir Walter Scott's way in the Legends of the Eraes o' Mar, Aberdeen, 1861, p. 50; but the author calla tota" t si l misrepresentatio ncase.e oth f " VACATION NOTES IN CKOMAli AND STKATHSPKY. 675

Forsyt f Abernethyho , who writin n ,i regardine m o gt g it, says of the Farquharsons who were brought to Strathspey—" They all took the name of Grant and settled in the county, Some of their descendants remain to this day, and are known as ' Sliochd an amair,' that is, ' The Kace of the Trough.'" It is quite possible, therefore, that in speaking of a Grant of the Trough, reference to one of these Grants might be intended. But the epithet, as I heard it used, was simply meant to tell me that the boy did t reallno y n adoptebelone a famil th s f whico o gt wa yd e memberh . Either story, however, supplie n epithea s t which might readily corno st have this meaning.1 There Duthil stona th s i en i e churchyard which migh , anbe tdI believ beens eha , take Gibbor nfo n More's hen-trough Thomar Si . s Dick Lauder's informant said he had often seen the trough when a boy, that is, within the present century.2 The Duthil stone referred to is gene- rally called a baptismal font, but it might have been either a Icnockin' stane or a lien-trough. It is sunk into the ground close to the wall of the church. Its upper face is about 20 inches across each way, and the concavit s abouyi inche2 1 t diameten i s e mouthth about d a r an , 5 t inchebottome th t sa . This. I think, , shows more tapering tha usuas ni l in a Icnockin' stane.

. BIGLA'4 STONE.—AfteY SKE r father'he r s death, abou yeae tth r 1434 Bigla married Sir John Grant—" the fremyt Freuchie," as Gibbon More calle race d Glenchearnacf th ehim o d an , h cam saies i endthun dt a I .o s t that she built the church at Duthil, and that she rode regularly over the Garten Hills to worship there. Somewhere on her route, as the story goes, she had a hiding-place for her keys, below or beside a great stone. Not one, of the many from whom I heard of this, gave a better reason for the hiding of her keys than that she carried them till she was tired and the storthemd e littld nhi Th yha e. interest ,day e tillon , when walking

i The trough story of the Grants and Gordons, as told by Sir Walter, appears to start fro beginnine mth g ofe seventeent.th h century; but Gibbon More lived about two centuries earlier. Whether both stories are'fabrications botr o , h hav foundaea - othere copa th s f i y o ,e I canno on tioe tfactth n i tellr o , . 3 Highland Eambles, vol. iL p. 230. .'.-... . ' '• 676 PliOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.

through the woods which now cover the Garten Hills, my companion pointin a stone o gt , suddenly said, " e Clach-an-tuill-Pitlac Therth s i e , or The Stone of Bigla's Keys." I heard it often afterwards called Bigla's Key'Stone, but the Gaelic name really means Bigla's Stone of the Hole. abous i t I fee3 t t lon 2d Jg an fee t broadlyins i grounde d gth an ,fla n o t , broken lengthways into two. Near the centre there is a hole about 4 inches in diameter, not drilled straight through, but bored conically from both sides toward centree sth . Fiftee sais ni hav o dt t yeari o e sbeeag n whole and standing. Fig 7 give2 . a s g" 2'" rough representatio e stoneth f o .n places wa y t di therewh y d Wh an , the hole was bored through it, I found cannoha t de i w tf i tell t bu ; n Orkneyi e shoulw , d have been ready to conclude that the oath of t soma Odi d e nha time been sworn thosy b e whose hands were clasped holee th .n i Whateve histors it r y safel I thinmay y say be, kwe that onle nam y accidenth yb f Bigla' t o e Stoney ge w Ke st doeno . t i s And this suggests the question whether the present names of some other n liki t e no mannestone y ma s r reveal some acciden n theii t r history rather than their true history or purpose..

5. BIGLA'S LOUPIN'-ON-STANE.—A little further on, as you cross the hill from the Deshur to the Duthil side, there is another stone to which the nam f Bigleo attached s ai greaa s i tt I fragmen sais .i de rocksh f o td an , to hav loupiri-on-staneea s usea t di r journey he fro d kire n i man th k o t s of Duthil alss i ot I sai, d tha thin o t s ston receivee esh r rente he dth f so estate,

. TH6 E MiBACtE STON THF O EE SPET.—I pass fro e vestigemth f so Bigla Cumin to a thing of yesterday—linked, however, to an alleged occurrence several centuries ago I hav. e collecte gived dan accounn a n t of many strange superstitions still existin n remotgi e part f Scotlando s , but 1 have recorded no such wonderful illustration of a living superstition VACATION NOTES IN CROMAK AND STRATHSPEY. 677

s thaa t furnishe e MiracleTh y b d e Spey,Stoneth f o whic s erectewa h d in 1865 close to the banks of the river, about 150 yards lower down than Tom Pitlac. The legend of the miracle, as it appeared in the " Inverness Courier "l is as follows: — "In the beginning of the thirteenth century, a certain lady of the famil Mackintosf yo Kylachf ho branca y( e Mackintoshe th f ho f whicso h the latr JameeSi s Mackintos e representativeth s e wa hbes th t i t d an , ever had) was married to one of the eighteen sons of Patrick Grant of Tullochgorum, and grandson of the first Laird of Grant. The laird gave Patric fare kth f Luirgm o Abernethyn i , marriaga s a , e gift. After many years of domestic happiness Grant died, and was interred in the. church- yard of Duthil, and soon after his lady followed him to the grave. The latter, on her deathbed, expressed a wish to be buried in the same tomb with her husband. Her friends represented the impossibility of comply- ing with her desire as the River Spey could not be forded. ' Go you,' said water-sideproceeshe,the you certai a to ' if dto nand , spot (whic indihshe - cated,—a spot opposit famoue eth Bitlac m e residencTo s th , once th ef eo famous Bitlac Gumming), a passage will be speedily effected.' On arriving at the river side, at the place pointed out, the waters were instantly dividedprocessioe th d an , n walke dgroundy dr ovestore n o rTh y! goes on to say that the people, on observing an immense shoal of fish leaping streame th f o , d werbe ey capturd temptedancindr d an e an y th etr n go di t e salmosomth f eo n which thus found themselve suddenlo s theif o t ryou natural elemente angrth t y bu water; s refuse o countenanct d - un e th e merciful onslaught returned an , d once mor theio t e r channel. Thae th t men thus engaged should have escaped with their lives considerewa s d almos greas a t miracla t formee th s n etheia ro oned r an comin,f o t ou g the water Bitlac and her servants liberally supplied the company with bread and wine, and a 'Te Deum' was sung by the entire multitude for their miraculous deliverance from, the perils of the waters. The funeral attendants continued their journey until they reache e summie dth th f o t rock immediately above the present farm1 of Gartenbeg. Here they rested, and erecte dpola e some thirty feet long, wit ha finger-boarp to e th n o d pointin particulae th o gt r spot wher passage eth accomplisheds ewa . N"ot vestiga seen.e b o thif t eo " sw polno s ei 1 April 1SC5. '678 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874.--

quieteste Thith s stamesi d mane th an f yo t -version store th f yso which arn circulation.i e s greaIt " t defec s thai t t i revealt s nothine th f o g popular belief as to the character and habits of the woman; but it also wants consistency and is clearly inaccurate as regards dates and persons; For instance, it makes Bigla Cumin to have lived two centuries before she did; and there was assuredly no Grant of Tullochgorum with eighteen son n thsi e thirteenth century . . • t I make e "certaith s ne Macintoshe th woman f o e "on f Kylachy o s , t othebu r versionbelongee sh Macintoshee y th ssa o dt s onl marriagey yb , r firshe t husband bein e Fear-Cyllachiegth r seconhe d d an ,th e Fear-na- Luirgan. She appears, indeed, sometimes as a spinster, sometimes as once a wife, sometime s twicesa , sometime .s aa s Strathdearn somed an , - times as a Duthil woman;'now as haying lived in the thirteenth, then fourteenthe th n i , the thn ni e fifteenth ,sixteenthe theth n ni , then in'the seventeenth century—most frequently I thinksixteent,e th n i , sevenr ho - teenth; sometimes as a Macintosh, sometimes as a Cumin, sometimes as a Macdonald, occasionall Granta s yt a generall bu , certain.a s ya woman withou namea t I spea. k from wha I myselt f heard n shortI e . th , tradition ha fixeo n s 'measure d th forms variation it d f an ,eo s is_ exceed- ingl ystrucks greatwa I , . however e facth t y tha b ,nearln i t y every versioe storth f yno ther e was. some f incidendescriptioo t bi r o t n which might be called picturesque or romantic, and some happy 'touch in the •kg f delineatinyo g character. methoe Eveth n f tellini no d store gth y there was usually an attempt at that art in which Highlanders often so - greatly excel. . , districe Whilt togetheth pu n ei I strikine t th r g portion f also l .the versions which reached me, introducing details, as fully as possible, and carefully omitting nothing which related to character. It is unnecessary to give this version heret I makes'th. e miracl a comparativele y late event—not earlier than the sixteenth or beginning of the seventeenth century t I attempt . ' . o disclosst e peculiaeth r characte woman'e th f o r s saintliness help o righa s d o st t an ,understandin e actioth f no g taken ni regard'to her by'such persons as the men of Duthil. Perhaps, however, we need nothing mor thin helo i et s spu tha e knowledgnth face th t f eo that she is commonly known as HOLT MART OF LUIRG. ' The legend fell asleep til a small l farme t Slocka r , called William VACATION NOTES IN CROMAE AND STKATHSPEY. 679

Grant, some years before his death began, to speak of erecting a stone commemorato t miraclee eth . Thi thosf o se eGran on religious wa t s leaders havo knowe men,wh e people ar o th theid th f o s an 1na e rwh stronghold in. Sutherland and Koss-shire, though they have also been long a power in this particular parish. Grant of Slock was in the front rank of the accordind men,an beliee th f man o o fgs t "gifte ywa t onldno y wite hth spirit of prophecy, but with that of second sight.2 Some days before s deatsais i havhi o dt e hh e expresse desirda e tha monumentaa t l stone, which year sd procure before purposeha th e r h e fo d , shoul dressee db d and erected to com mem orate and indicate the place of the dividing of the waterse instructeh d an ;s followerhi d stone o plact th s n esuitabla e o e inscription, both in English and Gaelic. He is also said to have predicted same th et a time thabrooo tw t m bushes would sprineacn o hp gu sid f eo the stone, and eventually cover it, and that it would be a day of trouble to Scotland when this took place. Grant's followers faithfully instructione carrieth t dou f theiso r leader; f Marco h 9t h e 1865th stone n erecteds ando th , , ewa n appropriata , - ein scriptio followine th o nt g effect having been previousl it:n o — t ycu

"Erecte e e requeslatth th e t f a dWilliao t m Grant a Sloc r fo k memorial of a signal manifestation of the divine power in dividing this wate d causinan r ga passag e whereb e remainth y a certai f o s n woman were carried over on dry ground."

a lovin n I g spirit towards Slock's reputatio propheta s na , which over- rode their patriotism, they are said to have erected the stone between two growing broom bushes. The ceremon f inauguratioyo s beeha n n describe vers da y solemnt I . is said that, after devotional exercises, the tablet was consecrated, and dedicated l timinal e comin memoriaa s ge a miraculou th f o l s passagf eo the Spey.2 rights i t I , however recoro ,t d tha ceremone th t alwayt no s yi s described

1 The Men are written about and described in very different ways, as will be seen l>y consulting the New Stat. Accot. of Scot., Sutherland, p. 36, the Rev. Mr Auld's Ministers and Men of the North, and the Eev. Mr Kennedy's Apostle of the North. 2 "Inverness Courier," April 1865 d "Scotsman,,an " 21st April 1865, 0 68 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRI , 1874L13 .

an everi s y respect solemns allegedi t I r instancefo ., somy b , e that the cart on which the stone was conveyed from Slock to Garten was old and rickety, and broke down by the way; that the horse, which was harnessed to it, was a frail beast not equal to its work, except under con- stant stimulation d thae peoplan th jt e followe care th dt smoking their short black pipes. .Whether these things are wholly or partially true, or not true at all, it remain certais sa n thaerectioe th t f thino s memorial ston seriouslys ewa and earnestly gone about as a pious act. Luckily, in the very year of its erection (1865), I saw the stone, and then made the sketch of it which is given in fig. 28. Luckily, I say, for o moren w .e ston no th Abous i e year o tw t s afte s erectionit r e th n o , night of the 19fch of February 1867, it was ruthlessly broken and cast int rivere oth , wher e fragmentth e stiln e seeca b sl n whe watee nth s i r low. As migh e expectedb t , suc e erectioa hthinth s ga f thi o n s stonn ei Scotland, in the nineteenth century, attracted attention, and it was in many quarters freely spoken of as a disgrace to the parish. The outcome of this was a strong local anti-stone party, and a further outcome the destruction of the stone. Who the perpetrators of this sacrilege were no one as yet. dare tell. The secret is well preserved, and the iconoclasts are only named as certain persons. I was told, however, that one man, suspected to have been of the party, was killed by an accident soon after; beyons anwa t ddi question meant tha I tshoul d understan s deatdhi o t h have been a punishment from God. As a rule, neither the erection nor the destruction of the stone is lightly spoken of; and it appeared to me that condemnation of the monument was seldom quite fearless. tongue Th e seeme restrainee b o dt somethiny db nature th supera f gf o e o - stitious awe, quit mucs ea s bha y prudential considerations, though these wer doubo en operationn i t e FreTh e. Churce th n hi s ministewa o wh r parish in 1865 is said to have spoken honestly and somewhat strongly, though perhaps not altogether wisely, against the putting up of the Stone. t thoughno s i t tI tha s addecomfore h thi doingo s o dt y b t. Very out- spoken condemnatio r JameM s f como sha n n e pe fro e lipd mth an s Cameron, farme t Tullochgribana r happs yetm a a d sayI o ,t y an e ,h , louks none worseeth . ... VACATION NOTES IN CROMAR AND STRATHSPEY; 681

When the river is low, what remains of the stone can be got at, though with some difficulty s saii dt I tha. t piece brokee sar n preserved offan s da relic r charmso evesm a n I assure. d that such e fragmentb o t e ar s found in various parts of the northern counties. There is a story worth recording which I heard regarding the pole, which, as will be remembered/ was placed on the cairn erected at the top

ERECTED AT THE REQUEST OF i- E LATTH E >-,-„. V-:.- WILLIAM GRANT SLOCK MEMORIAA R FO ,? A SIGNA F O L L MANIFESTATION OF THE DIVINE POWER IN DIVIDING S- . THIS WATER AND CAUSING } A PASSAGE WHEREBY THE .( REMAIN CERTAIA F SO N WOMAN WERE CARRIED I. OVE DRYGROUNN RO D [i

of the Garten Hill by those who carried the remains of Holy Mary to her graveinformany M shrewa . s intelligend wa t dan t man, an vouchee dh d for the truth of what he told me as being within his own knowledge. Fift anothed moreyd an yearan wery e h o , bo re sag herding cattle near Gartonbeg s companionHi . n frolici , , pulled dow e pole thad nth an , t afternoon became seriousl d strangelan y y ille doctoTh . r camet bu , could make nothing of the illness. The boy was then urged to tell ' See p. 677. 682 PROCEEDINGS OF THE'SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1S74,

whether anythin happened gha accouno dt s alarmin hi r fo d tpuzzlin gan g condition e wen t H lengta e e eventdayt . th d th ove l han f , al o sr mentione pulline dth g dow f thno e s origimalade polehi Th s f n.o ywa t onca e suspected carries cairne presencs therth d wa hi o e an dt , n e H i . e the pole was replaced. From that moment his disease began to leave wene h himd t an hom, e whole. ; I happene ho t de inquiring into this legend. e abou th e tim th f t o e Paray le Monial pilgrimage, and I could not help seeing in Holy Mary a Duthil edition of Marguerite Marie Alacoque. The church set her seal on Marguerite's devotion d recognisedan , , proclaimed d recommendean , d it to the faithful. What else did the men of Duthil do but a like thing for another Mari journee eTh ? Garteo yt n wit miracle hth e n stoni s ewa many respect counterparsa pilgrimage th f o t Parayo t e . Very different, it is true, was the ceremonial. Only the rough sons of industry formed the rude procession from Slock." There were no lords and ladies among themelegance—no N . o polish—no refinement—no sayinjoyfue th f glo sorrowfue glorioue th th d d an an sl mysterie e Rosary—nth f so o repeating of paters, or of aves, or of litanies of the Sacred Heart—no singing of Magnificat e DeumT r o s s attende consecratioe dth Speysidn o ne th f o e undressed miracle stone, wit s vulgait h r inscription cone th thes -a d , ydi secration at Paray of the English people to the Sacred Heart. The two pilgrimages, however, were identical in one grand respect—they were bot resule hth f earneso t t religious convictions. Hough thoug e proth h - ceeding casee d polisheon an ,othere s e th werth n o di ,n n i e ther s wa e difference between them when regarded as the result either of intellectual or emotional operations. The polish of the Paray ceremonial marked neither a higher order of intellect nor of religious emotion. It marked nothing but a higher general culture, not a higher nature or constitution. The absence .of sestheticism and refinement at Duthil resulted from no inferiority either of intellectual powers, or moral qualities, or religious feelings. Those who put up the rude miracle stone on the Spey were the same people lived an t ,th da e same time werd an , e unde influence rth f eo the same, kind of religious belief, as the pilgrims to Paray. Perhaps I should go further, and call to mind that they were the same peopl theis ea r neighbours, who went neithe GarteParayo o t rt r t I nno . would certainl incorrece yb regaro t t d the s inferioma n mentai r l power VACATION NOTES IN CKOMAR' A'ND STRATHSPEY. 653

to those living round about them, and I doubt if they ought to be con- sidere realitn i s da y more superstitious t truegreatea no o t t ,i s rI exten. t tha woule nw d lik acknowledgeo et r differens yieldu ou f , n o thai , l t al t ways superstitiouo ,t s feelings,-eve t timena s able whe ar recogniso et e nw e their true nature?

6. THE GAIENS OF DUTHIL.—It is a great leap from the discussion of a superstitio descriptioa nto n of cairns tha takebut , t leanow . pI t waI s ' impossibl liv o weeker t efo t Carsa rt se Bridg'cona eno d - ean siderable numbe f cairnsro . Clos, indeedit o et , ther districa s ei t called Docharn, which probably means the Davoch of the Cairns: I did not coun e numbeth t f smalo r l cairn e founb s thi n o whico t ds e ar h anadjoinine th d certainlm a g I farms t y bu correc, t thay whesa t I n there are hundreds. The majority of them are small. There are three, however f greao , te largessizeTh f thes.t Tom-tigh-an-leighe o ta s i e — Doctorhouse e th th hil e f f eo o lTh . Ther stora s i ey that every father mothed illegitimatn an a f o r ee paris chil th s oblige n di hwa o brint d ga great stone to this cairn, and that thus it was erected. If we believed this, we should be obliged to conclude that there must have been many births and few marriages in Duthil during the good old times. The second in size of the three great cairns is on the top of a knoll in the wood, just above Dochlagie. It is 60 feet in diameter, and 9 to 10 feet high. Wit assistance hth f somo e e labourer sI carefull y examined this I cairnfoun t chambeo bu n d, s r structur it o kiny r n an i d f o e interior I als. o ascertaine t boundeno s d anythiny thawa db t i t g like a,wal circlr o l stonesf eo . Running north from it,' however abour fo , 0 4 t feet, there is what I can most easily describe as a paved way, about 3 feet widee stonesTh . , however f whico , s formei h y thiwa ds differ .very greatl e merelar t sun sizen d ye i groun no yth an k, laid intn o dan . o it At its remote end it appeared to bend a little to the east, and we thought' tha s otheit t r extremity entere somr dfo e distance int bode oth y of the cairn itself, which, if a correct observation, is an interesting and peculiar feature. .Near the old house of Inverladnin, where Prince Charles once passed a night, there is a much smaller cairn. In this case too there exists a similar lin f stoneeo s abou e samth t e width, running from eas o westt t , 684 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. APRIL 13, 1874.

having its course through the cairn tolerably distinct, reappearing at the opposite side d exhibitinan , extremite on t ga ybenda , like that observed greae th t t a cair whico nt h allusio s jusnha t been made. Thi s showi s n in the subjoined diagram (fig. 29), from which it will also be seen that this cairn is surrounded by a line of stones of the same character as that which seems to pass through the cairn. In the centre there is a well- formed short cist, with, a huge stone covering it; and in this, when first opened, there were human remains t thes d beebu , ha en removed before my dottee visitTh .d linn tho ee plan represent positioe sth wira f no e

' Fig. 29.

fence, durin erectioe gth t whicI f Bd no . brokerinan e s hth gA wa t na difficuls i whethew no e pathwaty th tr) reallosa D r C y( o ende, D t da passed the; circle where the fence cuts it at B. I speak here of C D as a. pathway t thi bu ,s scarcelsi y correct t i muc r fo , h more resemble lonsa g low flat hea f stonepo s tha npavea d way t looksI beed . ha n t ,i toof i s ,a made before the cairn, and as if the cairn had been erected over it. What I have said of these cairns supports the idea that there is an anatom f cairns,—thayo t the e ofteyar n constructe a definit n o d e plan, and are not mere heaps of stones. Through Mr Anderson we all know the singular aiid well-marked characters of the Caithness cairns. These do rrot.;in the least resemble what I have been describing; but the VACATION NOTE CKOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD KAN . 685

character apparently possesse Duthie th y b dl Cairns render t i increass - ingly probable that cairns of different districts may possess distinctive characters. There is another thought, which seemed ever present to my mind while I was living beside these great cairns and seeing them constantly. It was t loo contemptuouslo no kto e w this o D , people th erecteo n yo ewh d them1 Whoever they were, they built tombs for their great men, and over these raised vasd endurinan t g monuments cairnA . fee0 7 , t0 2 acros d an s feet high, is no insignificant conception, nor is it an easy thing to erect suc a hcairn . They wer t stupino e d savage conceiveo swh erected dan d such memorials n whateveI . r light they regarded death they certainly treated their dead with respect, and thought greatness worthy of com- memoration. If we are descended from them, as I hope we are, we have no reason I think,ashame e r ancestorsb ou o t , f o d , who, though uncivi- lised, were certainl s feeblepossiblet i yno t I . , indeed, that they were potentially as good men as we are. Even in numbers they can scarcely have been much behind us—that is, if we leave out of view our great cities. Looking, indeede numbe e th cairn th d t siza f ,an o rse still remainin thin gi s district t thaseemi ,e m t o sthert e must have bees na grea populationa t betweeCraigellachieo tw e th n cair e th nn i s times sa f thii true b d f sStrathspeyn ours o ei An . s evei t i n, more probably true of Caithness with its countless brochs, and cairns, and other evidences of an early occupation by a sturdy and numerous people.

G-RENISE TH . 7 H CIEOL KINR EO G CAIRN.—The curious structure which I hav eknowI nexs a notice r o uniqut s t i ,fa o s ,Scotland n ei I firsw . sa t Octoben i t i r 1866, along wit Reve hth . William Forsyt f Abernethyo h . Since that time I have had several opportunities of visiting it. It lies in the Grenish wood, about five miles from Carr Bridge, on the way to Aviemore e westh tn smala o ,sid f o el loch, called Loc Carragheana hn . t consistI greao tw t f circleso f standinso g stones—the outer circle being 60 and the inner 24 feet in diameter. It is thus a structure of great size. The stones forming the circles are about 3 feet above ground, and are close together e spacTh e. circle betweeo fee8 1 tw t s se i wide th nd an , it is filled to the level of the top of the standing stones which define it with loose stones, which are not large, are generally water-worn, and T 2 VOL . PAEx . T ir. 686 PROCEEDING THF SO E SOCIETY, APRIL 13, 1874. exhibit no sign of building. A plan of it and a section are given in figs. 30 and 3l. These are taken from large drawings, in reducing which the space circlebetweeo beetw s sha e nnth mad die smallath o mateeto d an , r

•Kg. 30.

o QE \

fr

e inneoth f r circl greato eto . Ther e somar e e reason thinkinr sfo g that time loose on eth t ea stones betwee circlee nth s were heape abovp du e eth level of the boundary stones • and, if such were the case, the structure would become a sort of ring cairn.

Fig. 31.

informes wa I d thacircular-builo tw t t chamber oncd ha se been found covered by the stones in the space between the circles, and that many VACATION NOTES IN CKOMAE AND STRATHSPEY. 687 cistalsd osha been foun t variouda s sam w e timesa th eI n si spacet Bu . nothing to show that this had been the case. There are two stones, formerly standing, but now prostrate, of con- siderable size othee (onth feeefeed r7 9 circlan e t t wese longth th f e o to )t positioe th n i nfig. n Fd indicateo 30 . an E y db About 35 paces to the south-west of the circle there is a small cairn; north-ease pace0 th 12 o t sr o d abou 0 tan ther10 t s eanothei r flat cairn, abou fee6 diameter2 n ti t situated an ,a peninsul n do a jutting into the lake. This last is surrounded by a circle of stones. On the opposite, or east side, of the loch, in the wood, there are two circular grass-covered mounds—on e othe th fee 0 d diameter4 rn i t an 0 e5 . On the same side of the loch three small cairns are also to be seen. Altogether there is abundant evidence that much importance must at one time have been attache thio dt s spot,— e grealeadind th an t g feature beine th g Kg. 32. singular structure I have just described. t wastno eo d tim I e eithe showinn i r g that it was not a broch or that it was some- thing else. It is a huge erection, and must have been put up at a great cost of labour; t forbu what purpose I ,canno t even guess. The popular belief is that it was a place of s saiworshipi t di thad innkeepen an a t; r at Aviemore once took away from it some large stones, of which he stood in need, and resule thath nevee s h ta r after throve.

. LAGGA8 N CUP STONE.—Thi alreads sha y been noticem a I t pags a da r e fa 642 o S . e e discoverefirsth on aware t s i t i n ,i d Strathspey. Thank science-lovine th o st g farmers at Laggan, the sculpturing on it did not escape observation.

9. INVERALLAN CEOSS.—This stone stand Inverallae th n si n churchyard, and mus thint knowe no t b ko eves manyd tha no I t ha r t t beeti ,bu n noticed. rougha s i t ,I undressed slab wit Latiha n cross botrudeln o ht ysidescu . PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , APRIL 13, 1874.

Fro s mgreait t simplicit absence th d f laboureyo ean d art, it appearo t s me to exhibit the symbol of our Faith very impressively. I have endeavoured, though with poor success represeno t , . fign i 32 . t i t

LYNCHURE TH . TULLOCHGOBU10 B NO M SYMBOL STONE.—This stons ewa brought under my notice by Mr David F. Boss, and I visited it along with him and Mr Grant of Lynchurn. r Eosd M previouslha s ya sene m t Fig. 33. sketch, so that I knew it to be one of r Stuart'D s symbol stones. recentls wa t I y founfiela n o n di d fare th Lynchurnf mo ,Spey e closth o et , r fro e Boafa m th f t Garten o tno d an ; and Mr Grant was breaking it up for a lintel whe observee nh d some sculptur- ing on it,'and desisted. It was prostrate when found, but it is now standing nea spoe th r t s discoveredwherwa t i e . Unfortunately it had sustained con- siderable injury before the sculpturing was noticed. What remains of it is about 5 feet 10 iuches long,— 3 feet 10 inches being above ground and about 2 feet below s greatesIt . t widt8 1 s hi . inches, and its average thickness about 0 inches1 s froi . m3 sketca 3 Fig . h s roughli spote t I I th mad . yn o e to scale, and I think gives a tolerably accurate representatio e symbolth f o n . The face of the stone is much weather-worn, and shows no other sculpture except that given in the sketch. This is the fifth of these symbol stones which have recently been brough notico t t n Strathspey,—twi e o having been foun t Congasha d , on t Finlariga e t Lynchurnfouna t Freuchieo a e tw e on de on , d Th an ,. t Finlaria Freuchid gfortunatan s wa eI e enoug obtaiho t n Museumfoe rth , where thearew . yno five Fouth e f havro e been figurer StuartD y db . VACATION NOTE CEOMAN SI STRATHSPEYD RAN 9 68 . The symbo Lynchure th n o l n e well-knowstonth s i e n combinatiof no sceptre th e an ddetails it crescent n i s d therfeaturo n an , s ef speciai o e l interest. Any uncertainty which may exist as to the character of the Corrachree stone (fig. 19) is entirely absent here.

11. CHURCH OF DUTHIL.—I conclude these notes with an extract from the Macfarlane MSS. (Advocate's Library), containing a reference to the old church of Duthil; and I do so because the allusion to the door of the d churcol h wit s ornamentahit l hinge possibly ma s y throwe th ligh n o t origin of the curious piece of carving in fir-wood which was recently found in the house of Shillochan.

Extract from the Mac/arlane MSS., Cfeoff. vol. iii. p. 272. " About the middle of the river standeth the kirk of Duthell, a large church, but a poor provision, as all the churches of this countrey of Strathspey have not exceeding 500 merks Scots for each minister, who serveth at two churches, and some of them having seven miles betwixt their kirks ; and in the whole world there are not worse payed ministers and more neglected. The bands of the kirk doors are very rare, made after the manner of a tree casting out its branches, and covering the whole door, after the manner of needlework."

The decoration of the old kirk door must have been somewhat unusual thio t o hav t sd le speciae safely ma ly e noticeassumw d an , e thae th t internal fitting churca f so h with suc ha doo r destitutwoule b t dno f eo ornamentation. A probability, therefore, arises that the carved work discovere t Shillochada havy nma e once forme importann a a pard f o t t pew in the old church. This probability is increased by the fact that good judge carvef so d work thin t ki likel havy thama e t onci t e served such a purpose.

I hav returo et besy nm t thankr JosepM o t sh Anderson Wr . F M ., Skene, Dr James Macdonald, the Eev. George Davidson, the Kev. James Weir Eeve th . ,Forsyth r D.. Boss.W F M their d fo , ran , kindnesn i s readin whole gth r parteo f thesso e Note manr fo n proof,s i d y usefuan l suggestions,, tendin securo gt e accurac mattero t s ya f factso .