Pitscandlie

Also known as:
Blackgate of Pitscandlie
Nearest town:
Forfar (4km WSW)
OS reference:
NO484528
OS sheet:
54
Latitude:
56° 39' 50.8 N
Longitude:
2° 50' 30.97 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Articles

Pitscandlie

hamish
hamish Jun 24, 2007

This is about 3 miles down the B9134 from Aberlemno.You can park just into the lane and walk about 150yds up the lane. On the left is a drive way leading to some cottages, the Stones are in the yard. best to ask at the cottage for politeness sake. There are two large Stones one Tall and narrow the other wide but about the same height. There seem to be cupmarks on the back of the wide Stone. The lady of the house said it may be the remains of a Circle, There were three Stones but one was demolished to make the driveway. She was at pains to tell me it was before her time.

Pitscandlie

nickbrand
nickbrand Oct 29, 2002

Blackgate cottage lies on the B9134 east from Forfar. Turn onto the track and Blackgate cottage is third on the left. Ask permission from the owners of the cottage, as the stones are within their yard.

Folklore

Pitscandlie
Standing Stones
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Nov 3, 2006

Towards the east end of the camp is a place called Pitscandlie, Mr Pennant conjectures concerning this name, that it is equivalent to Picts Cairn. But this seems merely fanciful. Near the house, indeed, which bears this name, there is a very large cairn. Part of it has been removed, to give place to a corn-yard. Two very large rude stones, without any sculpture, are still standing, which point out the limits of the cairn,—one at the north, the other at the south end of it. The largest of these stones is 10 feet above ground, and 18 feet in circumference.

About a furlong west from this cairn is another on the side of the high-way, which is also very large. The great body of Picts slain in battle were most probably buried in these cairns. A little to the south of Restennet, about a mile distant from the Picts’ cairns, in a muir which has been lately planted, are to be seen a number of smaller cairns, and one of an uncommon size. Here, we apprehend, the Scots slain in this battle were interred. The loss of Alpin was very great, said to be one-third of his army, which may account for the number of little cairns, besides the great one.

This really is an extremely elaborate and imaginative explanation. So for the Reverend to mock Mr Pennant for being fanciful seems rather unfair.

From the Rev Dr Jamieson’s “An Account of some Remains of Antiquity in Forfarshire.” p14-30 in Archaeologica Scotica: transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Volume 2 (1822)
ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/ARCHway/toc.cfm?rcn=2917&vol=2

Topics

Calling Hamish 3
tiompan
tiompan
Jun 2007

Sites within 20km of Pitscandlie

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.