This pair of stones sit on a terrace overlooking the Tay's flood plain as it sweeps round from Dunkeld and Birnam. Surrounded by ferns, just back from the road, they are sandwiched between the A984 main road and a steeply-sloped spur of Newtyle Hill. Approximately 3m apart, the NW stone is 2.1m tall, and the SE stone half a metre shorter at 1.6m. Coles (1908) suggested that they may be the remains of a circle. Due to their situation at the foot of the slope, the circle would have to have been where the road now runs, although I think this is unlikely. Even more unlikely is Marshall's (1880) suggestion that they mark the graves of two Danish warriors killed during the invasion of Dunkeld.
Nearby, on Newtyle Hill itself, an Early Bronze Age flat axe was found in 1915. It is now in the museum at Blair Castle.
Newtyle Two Poster (AKA Dunkeld Standing Stones)
Tuesday 2/4/02
I thought these two stones would have been more difficult to see- I expected them to be hidden behind a wall, or obscured by trees, but are easily spied as we whizzed past them on the way to Dunkeld- to be paid a visit on the way back- so I made mental notes of where on earth to park whilst exploring this site. There's a small entrance to the now disused Newtyle quarry which we reversed into. It was a bright Spring evening, the sun shining through the still leafless trees These two massive blocks are aligned NNW/SSE. Their northernmost faces are covered in a thick mat of moss, whilst the faces currently bathed in sunlight and shining and clean. What is really surprising is how sharp and the angles and edges of these great stones are- as if recently quarried (well- apart from their blankets of moss). The north stone is just over 2 m high, whilst it's partner (which stands about 3 m or so to the south) is around 1.5 m tall. Both of the tops of the stones are angled at approximately 45 degrees south to north. These paired stones, or two-posters, are one of at least four that I know of in this area. To the south are the NE/SW aligned Staredam Stones, to the NW are the Clachan More (although re-writing this from my scrawled field note-book I was blissfully unaware of their fate) and to the NE are the Balnabroich Stones.
'Two miles east of Dunkeld are the Standing Stones of Newtyle, commonly called the Druid Stones, near the "Doo's Nest", a projecting crag on the road to Caputh. These stones were probably monuments before the Druidic period, but the Druids or Pictish Priests generally annexed such monuments, and the name clings through the ages. The Newtyle Stones are possibly remains of a Circle; it is conjectured that, as a spur of Newtyle Hill rises sharply behind, the remainder of the Circle might have been where the road now runs, and had been destroyed during its construction. They are of common quartzose schist differing in height. The largest is over 6 feet at the north corner and 3 feet at the east. A fence divides them from the road; unfortunately, owing to the growth of ferns, bushes and trees, there is a danger that they may soon be lost to sight. Dr Marshall in his "Historic Scenes of Perthshire" alludes to these two upright stones at the Doo's Nest, but says they are supposed to mark the graves of two Danish warriors returning from the invasion of Dunkeld. Antiquarian research, however, as reported in the Society's Proceedings, places them among pre-historic monuments.'
From 'Dunkeld- An Ancient City' by Elizabeth Stwart (1926).
Directions - Heading north on the A9 from Perth, turn off at Dunkeld. Follow the road into Dunkeld, crossing the bridge over the River Tay. Immediately after the bridge, turn right onto the A984. Approximately 2.5km along this road are the standing stones, just back from the road, on the left, and partially hidden by ferns. There is nowhere to stop immediately by the stones as they are close to a corner, but a few hundred metres further on there is space to park on the verge by the side of the road.
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Posted by BigSweetie
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