Print from 1838 by Alex Arthur of the Kirkton Manor Stone in its original position. Courtesy of British Heart Foundation Shoppe in Peebles today. It was marked at £1 but I put an extra 50p into the box for good measure.
20/12/03- from the field
20/12/03- from SE in the field showing the full height of the monolith
20/12/03- looking NE along the wall
20/12/03- looking SW along the dry stane dyke
20/12/03- three of the larger cupmarks on the SE face
20/12/03- close up of SE face showing cupmarks
20/12/03- from the road looking NW
Saturday 20/12/03
Over hills past ancient cultivation terraces, over old bridges and past hill forts ringing the tops of all the summits around, the road I travel leads me to this huge stone. I park on a muddy verge and walk over to meet this beast. From the SE face of the stone next to the road, the full extent of this monolith is not apparent. Only about 1.2 metres rises out of the dry stane dyke. The wall into which this stone is now built runs NE/SW from its sides. The SE face has approximately 11 natural cupmarks on it. This is no accident on the part of the ancients, though we have now lost the significance of these marks. Jumping over the dyke and the electric fence the full majesty of this stone is revealed. I am dwarfed by its presence- almost 1.9 metres high. There are two possible natural looking cupmarks on this side, though quite small.
This monolith is not in its original position. On a map of 1775 a stone is marked approximately 100 yards further to the NW.
An entry from Ancient Stones, an online database that covers most of the standing stones, stone circles and other stones found in South East Scotland. Each entry includes details, directions, photograph, folklore, parking and field notes on each location.
