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 Head To Head The Modern Antiquarian Popping Stone Forum | Start a topic | Search |
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| Kentigern Speaks ! Sorry, I would have joined in earlier if I had realised that genuine megalith-enthusuasts had taken an interest at last ! Perhaps the website should have an email alert when discussions start up. Anyway, I'm very pleased to see a healthy debate. I've been very much a voice crying in the wilderness up to now. The first thing to remember is that the stone was certainly drastically altered around the 1860s. Look at the photos of the "old" and "new" shapes. The two "daughters" in front used to be part of the original. This coincides with major development at the nearby hotel, and could have been part of a typically Victorian "tidying" exercise - and fits in with my theory that the stone is connected with fertility - some of the shapes visible on the old stone can be interpreted in interesting ways. If the locals had rude interpretations of its shape and purpose, one can imagine the Victorian tourists strolling down there and coming back incensed - not good for business. The phrase "trysting stone" which I noticed in the discussion is a handy one - do you know of any other examples ? Yes, it could have been a naturally shaped stone. It is surrounded by many other large boulders which have fallen from the cliff above, and it seems to be the same type of stone. However, the Popping Stone is the only rounded boulder, all the others have the roughly polygonal, angular shape that the blocky local sandstones tend to fracture into. This difference in shape singles it out. If it has been in that position for thousands of years, the river could have flowed over it long ago, and this would produce a rounded shape. The main reason I did my research was the patent stupidity of the Walter Scott naming legend. As I say on my web page, I am sure he would have known of it, and quite possibly proposed there, but there is no evidence - the story just pops up - guess when ? The 1860s - long after Scott's death. What I object to is the idea that it was named The Popping Stone from the moment of his proposal and for that reason. The Popping Stone and its origins are much more interesting than that ! Reply | with quote | Posted by kentigern 5th March 2006ce 11:47 In reply to: Re: Is this really a standing stone? (Kammer) |
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