Re: Pot Boiler | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Copt Howe 5

Image by fitzcoraldo

For Jeff

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FourWinds Sep 18, 2003 17:34:28

Replying to Hob

To be honest the one in fitz's photo doesn't look like I'd class it as a bullaun - the 'cup' isn't smooth enough.

Many that are used in churches in Ireland are most probably much older, but some are going to be originals. I tend to go on the proximity of a stream to the site to get a clue as to whether it's older or not.

The small ones (about the size of the one fitz linked to) tend to be new if they're in churches. If they're in bedrock then they're almost certainly old.

Not much help is it?

fitzcoraldo Sep 18, 2003 19:10:49

Replying to FourWinds

This one is certainly an old stone. It has a pecked cupmark on one side and was found in an area of both round barrows and a long barrow. http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=2006
Large cups like this are not usually found on the NYM so I reckon Graeme C is spot on with his conclusions.

FourWinds Sep 18, 2003 19:23:15

Replying to FourWinds

I just re-read my second paragraph. I wasn't implying that 'your' stone wasn't old. That's what you get for not specifying the subject properly!

Hob Sep 18, 2003 23:56:31

Replying to FourWinds

If not a bullaun, I'd say it's very unlikely to be a preaching cross socket. At 10cm deep, 10cm wide hole isn't going to support much of a cross with a relatively small mass of stone around the hole.
There's such preaching cross socket at the holystone

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=1791#post-17363

and though Iv'e never found it, Iv'e had it described by the owner as rectangular with a hole right the way through. If that's what preaching cross sockets (What an unwieldy term) look like then it must rule out both the NYM one and the Copt howe one as preachingcrossockets. So what are they? Mortar and pestle would surely be the bookies favourite in the absence of any other theories.

Pre-emptive derisory snorts to any suggestion of plinths for stone crosses.