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It has been reported that the present position of this stone is not the original, but it may possibly have been removed from the adjacent field which is locally known as the "Stannin' Stane Field".
(RCAHMS 1956)
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Now in the National Museum of Scotland.
From the RCAHMS 1967;
A ring-marked slab of red sandstone, 2ft 6ins by 1ft 10ins by c.4ins thick, discovered in a bank of gravel (J Y Simpson 1868) (gravel pit (Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1870)) at Lamancha, was presented to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS Accession no: IA6) in 1867.
Some other large stones found nearby suggested to Simpson that the site may have been sepulchral but there is no evidence that it formed part of a Bronze Age cist (E McWhite 1946). The stone bears an unusual group of markings, all pecked, including single and double rings and an area of punch-marks.
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Description of original cairn from which the cup and ring marked slab formed the capstone;
RCAHMS 1978
A small cairn which formerly stood a short distance N of the steading of Wester Yardhouses was destroyed about 1870. It is said (D R Rankin 1875) to have measured about 6.4m in circumference, and would thus appear to have been close to the average size of cairns in the concentrations noted in the vicinity.
The cairn contained a short cist, aligned N-S, which was constructed of four slabs and had a capstone decorated on its underside. No traces of any skeletal remains were observed, the only recorded find being a beaker, of ? N 2 (L) type (D L Clarke 1970), which was broken soon
after removal. The capstone measures about 1.2m by 1.0m, and bears a remarkable series of curvilinear and triangular designs. These motifs belong to what has become known as the 'Passage-grave' style, which was in use in Ireland by the middle of the third millenium BC. The carvings were not executed by those who erected the cairn, for portions of some of the designs were destroyed when the stone was trimmed for re-use in the cist. The capstone and a fragment of the beaker are preserved in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS Accession nos EQ 165, 166).
Some time before the destruction of the above cairn, a number of cairns were removed, apparently from the same general area, without any artifacts being found although it was noted that the earth beneath the cairns was red in colour. This discoloration was said not to occur anywhere else in the vicinity and was probably the result of burning, evidence for which has frequently been found during the excavation of broadly similar small cairns elsewhere.
OS 1971;
No traces of any cairns were seen in the area N of Wester Yardhouses.
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The Ordnance Survey Name Book records that human bones "of unusual size" were found in it about 1830, but nothing more is known about this discovery.
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RCAHMS 1967:
A quarter of a mile NE of Menzion farmhouse, the road to Tweedsmuir passes between two standing stones. The more northerly stone, situated 10 yds W of the roadway measures about 2 ft. 3 in square at ground level and stands to a height of 2 ft 6 in. The other stone is 25 yds SE of the first and 12 yds E of the roadway. It, too, is almost square on plan, measuring about 2 ft 2 in along each side at ground level, and stands to a height of 2 ft.
And the OS report from 1972;
There are no standing stones in the area which is now under forestry but at NT 0938 2388 are two weathered recumbent stones measuring 1.9m x 1.0m x 0.4m and 1.4m x 0.9m x 0.3m which may have formerly been erect.
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RCAHMS description from 1978;
Some slight remains of a broch are situated 650m S of Calla farmhouse on a low rocky knoll (274m OD) at the SE end of Calla Bank. In 1972, only the tops of a few stones could be seen protruding through the long grass that covers the site. The plan, however, shows the features that were visible in 1952, when the site was discovered and planned by the RCAHMS. At that time the site, which has long been known locally as the 'old quarry', was already in a dilapidated condition, both the broch wall and its enclosing wall being reduced to low grass-grown stony banks. Nevertheless, by clearing back the turf and rubble from a number of facing-stones, it was possible to establish that the broch measured about 11.6m in diameter within a wall varying from 4.9m to 5.8m in thickness. Excavation would be required to establish the position of the entrance and of any intra- mural structures.
The broch stands within an oval enclosure formed by a wall, of which two long stretches of the outer face survive on the NW and SE respectively, but there are no visible indications of the thickness of the wall or of the location of the entrance. The outer facing-stones are set at a distance from the broch wall of as little as 4.0m on the SSE and as much as 12.2m on the N.
Three relics found at the time of the original survey are now in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS). They are: (i) a roughly circular piece of sandstone, 56mm by 50mm and 14mm thick; (ii) a piece of cannel coal, 106mm by 80mm and 10mm thick, with an incomplete hour-glass perforation near the centre; and (iii) a rough disc of cannel-coal, 25mm by 23mm and 6mm thick, with an hour-glass perforation near the centre.
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Description from RCAHMS 1978;
This souterrain lies on the crest of a low ridge 168m NNW of Wester Yardhouses farmhouse and under the foundations of a modern field wall. The passage has recently been deliberately blocked 4.6m from the entrance and the outer section reconstructed.
Excavations in 1923 (A Fairbairn 1924) revealed that from the entrance, which faced E, the passage ran westwards for 2.0m, then NNW for a distance of 2.7m, and finally W again for a further 7.2m. The width of the passage varied from 0.9m to 1.7m. The walls were corbelled and rose to a height of 1.5m at the point where they were spanned by the only surviving lintel-stone. In the two outer sections of the passage the basal course was formed by particularly massive stones, the largest measuring 1.9m in length and 0.4m in depth, but in the innermost section the lowest course consisted of large flagstones set on edge. The entrance was flanked by two portal stones, and another pair stood at the junction of the central and innermost sections of the passage. At the W end, where the souterrain was at its widest, traces of burning were found on the clay floor. The finds, which are in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS), comprised chert and flint flakes, several scraps of hand-made pottery of indeterminate date, a block of 'red pigment' and fragments of medieval pottery.
Flint arrowheads have been picked up locally, and one perfect barbed and tanged specimen was found close to the entrance some years ago.
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The dimensions of the three large sandstone slabs are;
(1) 1.12mX75cmX40cm
(2) 72cmX52cmX20cm
(3) 85cmX80cmX15cm
Plus five substantial boulders
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From the RCAHMS CANMORE detailing the Latin carving;
The top portion of its E face, above two weathered vertical grooves, has been chiselled off to a depth of 3 1/2", and here, on a panel with a horizontal beading above and below is a fragmentary inscription in well-cut Roman capitals, which may not be ancient, and of which only a few letters are now legible. They are in three lines, ......RK....; TI....DUM...; and ..X...BOUNTI
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The old metal sign next to the stone reads;
‘The White Stone. So called because it is a quartz rock believed to have been carried to this location during the ice age. The White Stone is frequently referred to in the records of the burgh of Peebles. It became the spot where visitors were welcomed by the Magistrates on their entry to the town and where parting guests drank from the stirrup cup.’
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From the RCAHMS CANMORE database;
This fort lies within a small clearing in the Glentress Forest and a forestry road passes immediately to the W of it.
The defences have consisted of two stone walls which enclose an area measuring 155' by 135'. They have been heavily damaged by stone-robbing and tree-felling, and much of what remains is now obscured by a thick covering of rough grass. Little survives of the outer wall round the W half of the fort, but on the E its debris appears as a stony bank accompanied by an outer ditch. Where best preserved, the bank stands 3' above the bottom of the ditch and 3'6" above the interior. Five outer facing-stones are still visible, the largest of them measuring 4' in length and one foot in height above ground. The inner wall, however, can still be traced for almost its entire circuit as a stony bank standing up to 2' in height. A number of its outer facing-stones remain, including an unbroken stretch of the wall face, 31' in length, on the ENE. These stones, like those in the outer wall, are large blocks, standing up to 1'6" in height. No inner facing-stones can be seen in either wall, but the dimensions of the core suggest that the walls had an original thickness of 8'-10'. The entrance is on the S and appears to have led obliquely through the defences. A modern track has enlarged the original passage and there is now a wide gap in the inner wall at this point. From the W end of this gap a stony bank runs obliquely across between the two walls, and within the gap itself there are two shallow semicircular depressions; in the absence of excavation it is impossible to determine the true nature of these features, but it seems likely that they are simply a by-product of the subsequent mutilation of the site. Within the interior on the SE a low scarp extends inside the inner wall for a distance of 80' uniting with it at either end. In this scarp there are a number of large boulders which do not appear to be in situ, and which are probably disloged facing-stones originally belonging to the inner wall. The remainder of the interior which rises 18' from W to E is featureless.
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Description for the RCAHMS CANMORE database;
The fragmentary remains of a fort occupy the summit of Cardie Hill which is thickly covered with trees forming part of the Glentress Forest. Stone-robbing and cultivation, followed by tree-planting and felling, have caused severe damage, and at the time of visit the site was masked by a thick covering of tussocky grass and brushwood. The fort appears to have had at least two, and possibly three, lines of defence, which enclose a circular area measuring about 105' in diameter. The considerable quantity of stones, both large and small, that marks their course, indicates that they were probably walls. The debris stands to a maximum height 3' and is spread to a thickness of up to 20'. It is impossible to tell which, if any, of the numerous gaps through the defences are original. The interior contains no recognisable structures.
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Good site description from the RCAHMS CANMORE database;
This fort is situated in a plantation on the S end of the ridge of high ground that forms the steep E side of the valley of the Soonhope Burn. The main defences consist of double ramparts and ditches which enclosure an area measuring 250' x 195'. On the N and E, where they are best preserved, the inner rampart stands to a maximum height of 3' above the interior and 10' above the bottom of the inner ditch, while the outer rampart measures up to 4' in height internally and 1'6" externally. The outer ditch, which can only be seen intermittently, is accompanied for a length of 85' on the NNW by a slight external upcast-bank. On the SE, S and SW, however, the ramparts have disappeared in some places, and elsewhere they are either greatly diminished or reduced to mere scarps, the ditches being completely filled up. Two boulders, visible on the outside of the inner rampart on the WNW, suggest that this rampart at least may have been kerbed or revetted with stone. The entrance is probably represented by the gap on the W. The interior, which slopes down from the NNE to SSW, is featureless. On the ENE extra protection has been afforded by the addition of an outer work set some 35' beyond the main defences, and consisting of a bank, now not more than 1'6" high and 7' thick, accompanied by a slight external quarry-ditch. It runs across the ridge for a distance of 170', and its slight construction may imply that it was never completed
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From the RCAHMS CANMORE database (1967 entry);
This settlement is situated among trees and occupies the summit of a low knoll which stands out from the general slope of the hill-side. It has been defended by triple ramparts which enclose a roughly oval area measuring 220' x 170'. For a length of 240' round the N and E sides the inner rampart still stands to a height of about one foot internally and up to 4'6" externally. Elsewhere, however, all three ramparts are now reduced, where still visible, to mere scarps varying in height from 6' on the NE to 2' on the SSW. Any ditches which may have existed are now completely filled up. The entrance is in the WNW and appears to have led obliquely through the defences. The interior, the level of which falls 32' from NE to SW, is broken up into a number of natural irregular-shaped terraces on which some slight crescentic scoops, too indefinite to plan, may mark the sites of timber houses.
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From the RCAHMS CANMORE database (1967 entry);
This fort is situated among trees and occupies the summit of a low knoll which stands out from the general slope of the hill-side. It has been defended by triple ramparts which enclose a roughly oval area measuring 220' x 170'. For a length of 240' round the N and E sides the inner rampart still stands to a height of about one foot internally and up to 4'6" externally. Elsewhere, however, all three ramparts are now reduced, where still visible, to mere scarps varying in height from 6' on the NE to 2' on the SSW. Any ditches which may have existed are now completely filled up. The entrance is in the WNW and appears to have led obliquely through the defences. The interior, the level of which falls 32' from NE to SW, is broken up into a number of natural irregular-shaped terraces on which some slight crescentic scoops, too indefinite to plan, may mark the sites of timber houses.
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From the RCAHMS CANMORE site;
'A sandstone slab, possibly indicative of the remains of a stone burial cist, or a destroyed stone circle' was noted by GUARD in 1994 when field-walking the route to be taken by the Pathhead to Gladsmuir gas transmission pipeline. 'The slab was lying loose within the topsoil and thus did not appear to be in its original position.
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Details of the settlement from RCAHMS CANMORE;
On the S slopes of North Berwick Law are many rock-faced terraces, some of which appear walled, others scooped to form huts or enclosures. On the SW shoulder are two adjoining, stone-walled rectangular enclosures measuring 33ft by 25ft and 22ft by 15ft. Further up the hill are three roughly circular stone-walled enclosures varying from 18ft in diameter to 33ft. On the same level, to the W, is a roughly quadrilateral area 18ft to 20ft across, enclosed by a setting of seven stones, with an entrance in the E wall.
Along the S base of the Law are many stone foundations and kitchen middens. A saucer-shaped midden was found in a quarry; finds, donated to the NMAS in 1923 by Dr Richardson, included assorted bone and stone implements.
Spread over the lower southern slopes of North Berwick Law are five groups of hut circles and enclosures, totalling twenty-one individual structures. A few are oval, but most are circular, varying from 8.0m to 13.0m in diameter; all are scooped. There are indications of cultivation in the form of wasted banks forming strip fields towards the E end of the settlement.
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Details of the fort from RCAHMS CANMORE (taken from Feacham 1963);
This fort occupies the summit of North Berwick Law (613ft OD). The remains are mostly scanty, much of the material of the dry-built stone walls having toppled down the steep slopes of the hill. An area measuring about 500ft by about 300ft was enclosed by a wall running on a level of some 50ft below the summit. The terrace immediately below this on the SW was likewise enclosed.
The gentler slope which intervenes between the second wall and the foot of the hill is enclosed by a third wall, several other stretches of which can be seen round the other side of the hill . In this lowest enclosure it is still possible to see the striking remains of numerous circular platforms upon which houses once stood, and several examples of the lowest courses of the stone walls of these.
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Details of the cup and ring marked stone from RCAHMS CANMORE;
In 1965 a cist containing a Food Vessel (RMS, EE 156) was found (at NT 2994 6740) during the excavation of the Parkburn long cist cemetery (NT26NE 28). Aligned N and S, the cist was built of four large sandstone slabs and measured 0.8m by 0.45m and about 0.45m in depth.
The E side-slab was in re-use, for it bore part of a heavily weathered multiple ring-mark (RMS, IA 49). The Food Vessel is bipartite, with four lugs and all-over decoration.
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From RCAHMS CANMORE;
This long cist cemetery is situated on England's Hill, some 600m ENE of Parkburn. A large part of the cemetery has been destroyed by a sand and gravel quarry (now disused), but it probably extends into the strip of woodland immediately NW of the quarry, where cists were discovered in 1885. Excavation in advance of sand extraction in 1954 and 1956 revealed 111 cists, all of them aligned roughly ENE to WSW. Two principal groups of cists were identified, separated by a wall running from NE to SW along the crest of the hill; the S group comprised forty widely-spaced cists, most of them well-built with substantial slabs; the N group, which comprised fifty cists, the majority built of slighter stones, was more compact and there was evidence of disturbance and successive construction. The only finds from the cists were part of a jet armlet (RMS, FN 189), a small fragment of iron, possibly a knife blade (RMS, IA 49) and fragments of six rotary querns, three of them in re-use as cist slabs (RMS, BB 115-20). Since the excavations a further six long cists and a Bronze Age cist (see No. 26) have been discovered. One of the cists, which was found in 1962, was built of dressed stones of Roman date, including three arch voussoirs, probably removed from the bath-house of the Flavian fort at Elginhaugh (No. 102); the cist was aligned roughly NE-SW and there was a small sherd of Neolithic pottery (RMS, EO 983) in its fill.
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