how reliable are reports from 1894? | Forum

BigSweetie Jun 27, 2005 00:10:58

visited this lovely wee circle in glorious sunshine today, and it left me with a question:

CANMORE (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore/details_gis?inumlink=29594) reports that the mound on which it sits on was excavated in 1894 and found to be naturally-deposited sand and gravel - how reliable is this likely to be?

as Nick mentions in his fieldnotes, it does look incredibly like a barrow. and if you look at this photo http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/16324 it shows how it rises out of a flat area - I might buy the morain deposit theory if this was low-lying flat ground, but this flat area is on the top of a flat-topped hill, nestling in one corner. is that usual for glacial deposits?

Cheers
Andy

Moth Jun 27, 2005 02:30:05

Replying to BigSweetie

With minimal & rusty kowledge of glacial stuff, I'd say that altho moraine's probly more likely low down on the outflow, you can potentially get it just about anywhere. someone'll probly know better than me tho! ;^)

Can't comment on this one in particular tho - I've never made it up to the circle meself. I was stumped by foot & mouth restrictions the first time, & the second time snow began to fall as I parked. not a prob except I'd've had Callan (aged about 6 mths at the time) in his carrier thingy on me back & me life wouldn'ta been worth living if I'd tried it!!!!

Not very constructive, but how reliable are reports from much more recent times???? :^)

love

Moth

FourWinds Jun 27, 2005 07:32:10

Replying to BigSweetie

Well, this looks like a section of kerb,

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/16325

so natural or not it was definitely enhanced to look like a passage tomb at some point. It seems a bit high up for a barrow doesn't it? There are a few 'blind' cairns around so it being just a pile of gravel doesn't mean it's natural. The feeling back in the 1800s was that if there was no chamber or burial then it wasn't worth it. Why build such a thing for no explainable purpose?

I'm not sure it matters if it is a natural mound (which seems unlikely to me at least), the kerb and four poster obviously give the site some credentials.