Miscellaneous

Russell’s Cairn
Cairn(s)

A little word about ‘Split the De’il’ that Hob mentions:

An upright slab of porphyry, about 6 feet high, stands on the southern slope of Windy Gyle, in a south easterly direction from the cairns. The shepherds call this rock ‘Split the Deil’. It is not certain that this is a relic of prehistoric times, but the rock has all the appearance of being ‘set up’. A shepherd surprized a golden eagle percehed on this rock early one morning.

I love the final sentence. It’s like the author had been standing talking to a shepherd rave on about the eagle, and felt he just had to mention it in this otherwise quite sober account of stones. At least, that’s the only interpretation I can give it, unless eagles had something to do with the mysterious devil-related folklore attached to the stone.

From ‘Pre-Roman Remains in Upper Coquetdale’ by Mr Parker Brewis and Mr D D Dixon, in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, v7/8 (1915/16)