Lochmaben Stone
Encyclopedia
The Lochmaben Stone is a megalith
standing in a field, nearly a mile west of the Sark
mouth on the Solway Firth
, three hundred yards or so above high water mark on the farm of Old Graitney in Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland
. Map reference: NY 3123 6600. The area is also known as Stormont. Together with a smaller stone it is all that is left of a stone circle
dating back to around 3000BC.
The principal stone or megalith, referred to as the Lochmabonstone by Logan Mack in 1926, has, in the Borders context, an unsurpassed extent of history attached to it. It is an erratic, 7 feet high and 18 feet in girth and weighs approximately ten tons. It is composed of weathered granite, exposed to severe glacial action.
The element Mabon
, as in the Celtic god, is common to all of the variants and this strongly confirms this association, as well as helping with the identification of this site with the Roman site of 'Locus Maponi', as listed in the Ravenna Cosmography.
The old Gaelic 'Cloch' element is found with the 1398 record 'Clockmabanstane' and this suggests that as in the modern Gaelic
'clach', meaning stone, the whole name may mean the 'stone or burial place of Mabon'. With the decline of Gaelic use in this area so close to England, the word 'Loch' has become appended, especially as the Lochmaben
and the Loch of Maben are in the locality. The name Clackmannan
is another example where the Gaelic word is undeniably linked with a stone, in this case still on view in the town centre.
six-inch map (1843–1882) refers to it as "Druidical circle
(Remains of)", which the Ordnance Survey Name Book states as being formerly composed of nine upright stones placed in an oval of about 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²). Only two of these stones are visible above the surface of the ground, one being the Lochmaben Stone. The other stone stands 1.0 m high by 1.2 m in diameter in a less conspicuous position in the nearby hedge to the north east of the larger stone. The 1845 'New Statistical Account' also relates that a ring of large stones once stood here, enclosing an area of around half an acre, most of which were removed shortly before that date to facilitate ploughing of the site.
In 1982 the stone fell over, and excavations prior to its re-erection revealed that it had been set into a shallow pit. No artifacts were recovered. However, a sample of mixed Oak and Hazel charcoal
taken from the lower fill of the stone-pit yielded a radiocarbon date of 2525 BC (+/- 85 years), according to the RCAHMS, or around 3200 BC, according to Sharp.
or Maponus. He is said to have been the divine patron of the Kingdom of Rheged
. Mabon may have been a god of fertility: the Romans made him a British Apollo
. Tolstoy
sees Merlin
as a chief druid
carrying out ceremonies at the Clochmabenstane.
Sometime during the seventh century, an unknown monk in the Monastery at Ravenna
on the Adriatic (eastern) coast of Italy
compiled a list of all the towns and road-stations throughout the Roman Empire
; this important historical document has since become known as the Ravenna Cosmography
and it lists a 'Locus Maponi' which has been tentatively identified with the Lochmaben stone site.
or Wardens suggests that the Scots regarded the Lochmaben stone as being the southernmost limit of the Scottish realm. In 1398 an indenture
was made at 'Clochmabenstane' for the men of Tyndale and Redesdale
to meet from Whitsunday
to Michaelmas
at Kershope Bridge. The Commissioners not only met here, but "gave bail for their good behaviour to one another."
In 1473, the Scottish and English Ambassadors met to agree that more frequent meetings of the marcher Wardens were to be held at the six recognised sites on the marches. These were 'Newbyggynfurde, Redaneburn, Gammyllispethe, Belle, Loumabanestane and Kershopebrig and the meetings were to be held at successive venues. On the 26th. March 1494 the commissioners of both countries met at the Lochmaben Stone to finally settle the long running dispute over the 'Fish Garth' across the River Esk
.
A local tradition suggests that the stone was moved by a farm worker with an excavator, the intention being to locate any 'treasure' beneath. The local primary school attended an official re-erection ceremony which was covered by the local paper, the Dumfries and Galloway Standard 22 September 1995.
records that on October 23 1448 a Scottish Army under the command of Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
, and Sir John Wallace of Craigie won a resounding victory over the invading English forces of the younger Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
. There is nothing to mark the site of the battle ground. 1500 Englishmen were slain and a further 500 drowned in flight. Many prisoners were taken. Estimated Scots losses range from a low of 26 to a high of 600, the most serious of whom was Sir John Wallace of Craigie, Sheriff of Ayr
, who was mortally wounded, dying some time after the battle.
. It is a subsidiary tile of the Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield
. The family held land in this area and no doubt some connection exists between the title and the area.
was found about 1976 when ploughing some 350 m SSW of Old Graitney farmhouse, where it is still held by the finder, Mr S Smith. Slightly oval in shape it measures about 30 cm in maximum diameter and is made of granite or a similar rock; there are both central and side-holes.
pulled the sword Excalibur
. However, this only agrees with some versions of the Arthurian legend. In other versions of the Arthurian legend, Excalibur was a sword that came from the water, and the sword in the stone does not have a name.
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
standing in a field, nearly a mile west of the Sark
River Sark
Disambiguation: for other meanings, please see Sark The River Sark or Sark Water is a river best known for forming part of the western border between Scotland and England...
mouth on the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
, three hundred yards or so above high water mark on the farm of Old Graitney in Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Map reference: NY 3123 6600. The area is also known as Stormont. Together with a smaller stone it is all that is left of a stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
dating back to around 3000BC.
The principal stone or megalith, referred to as the Lochmabonstone by Logan Mack in 1926, has, in the Borders context, an unsurpassed extent of history attached to it. It is an erratic, 7 feet high and 18 feet in girth and weighs approximately ten tons. It is composed of weathered granite, exposed to severe glacial action.
Etymology
The Lochmaben stone has had a wide range of names attached to it over the last few millennia or so. Lochmabonstone, Stormont, and Old Graitney stone are amongst the most recent. In 1398 the name is 'Clochmabenstane', in 1409 and 1472 the name 'Loumabanestane' is recorded, with 'Lowmabanstane' used in 1485 and then 'Loughmabanestane' in 1494.The element Mabon
Mabon
Mabon may refer to:*Mabon , the Autumnal equinox in some versions of the Wheel of the Year*Mabyn or Mabon, an early Cornish saint*Mabon ap Modron, a figure in Welsh Arthurian legend-People with the name:...
, as in the Celtic god, is common to all of the variants and this strongly confirms this association, as well as helping with the identification of this site with the Roman site of 'Locus Maponi', as listed in the Ravenna Cosmography.
The old Gaelic 'Cloch' element is found with the 1398 record 'Clockmabanstane' and this suggests that as in the modern Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
'clach', meaning stone, the whole name may mean the 'stone or burial place of Mabon'. With the decline of Gaelic use in this area so close to England, the word 'Loch' has become appended, especially as the Lochmaben
Lochmaben
Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway.-Notable people:*Angus Douglas - Scottish internationalist footballer...
and the Loch of Maben are in the locality. The name Clackmannan
Clackmannan
Clackmannan District 1975-96From 1975, Clackmannan was the name of a small town and local government district in the Central region of Scotland, corresponding to the traditional county of Clackmannanshire, which was Scotland's smallest...
is another example where the Gaelic word is undeniably linked with a stone, in this case still on view in the town centre.
Archaeology
The first edition Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
six-inch map (1843–1882) refers to it as "Druidical circle
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
(Remains of)", which the Ordnance Survey Name Book states as being formerly composed of nine upright stones placed in an oval of about 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²). Only two of these stones are visible above the surface of the ground, one being the Lochmaben Stone. The other stone stands 1.0 m high by 1.2 m in diameter in a less conspicuous position in the nearby hedge to the north east of the larger stone. The 1845 'New Statistical Account' also relates that a ring of large stones once stood here, enclosing an area of around half an acre, most of which were removed shortly before that date to facilitate ploughing of the site.
In 1982 the stone fell over, and excavations prior to its re-erection revealed that it had been set into a shallow pit. No artifacts were recovered. However, a sample of mixed Oak and Hazel charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
taken from the lower fill of the stone-pit yielded a radiocarbon date of 2525 BC (+/- 85 years), according to the RCAHMS, or around 3200 BC, according to Sharp.
The cult of Maponus or Mabon
The name of the stone strongly suggests that this site was a centre of the cult of the Celtic god MabonMabon
Mabon may refer to:*Mabon , the Autumnal equinox in some versions of the Wheel of the Year*Mabyn or Mabon, an early Cornish saint*Mabon ap Modron, a figure in Welsh Arthurian legend-People with the name:...
or Maponus. He is said to have been the divine patron of the Kingdom of Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
. Mabon may have been a god of fertility: the Romans made him a British Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
sees Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
as a chief druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
carrying out ceremonies at the Clochmabenstane.
Sometime during the seventh century, an unknown monk in the Monastery at Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
on the Adriatic (eastern) coast of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
compiled a list of all the towns and road-stations throughout the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
; this important historical document has since become known as the Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
and it lists a 'Locus Maponi' which has been tentatively identified with the Lochmaben stone site.
The border line and the Lochmaben Stone
The Lochmaben Stone was a well known, well recognised and easily located 'marker' on the Scottish Marches and as such it performed a number of functions prior to the Union of the Crowns, such as arrangements for truces, exchange of prisoners, etc.Rendezvous
Raiding parties met here before launching expeditions into England and Scottish armies assembled here before major incursions or defence operations took place. It may well have been a tribal assembly point. An army was ordered to assemble here as late as 6 February 1557.Exchange of prisoners
In 1398 an exchange of prisoners took place when English and Scots representatives, the Dukes of Rothesay and Lancaster met at the Lochmaben Stone. The prisoners were released without ransoms and any that had already been paid were to be returned.The Commissioners and the Wardens of the Western Marches
Its use by the Marcher LordsMarcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
or Wardens suggests that the Scots regarded the Lochmaben stone as being the southernmost limit of the Scottish realm. In 1398 an indenture
Indenture
An indenture is a legal contract reflecting a debt or purchase obligation, specifically referring to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, an instrument used for commercial debt or real estate transaction.-Historical usage:An indenture is a...
was made at 'Clochmabenstane' for the men of Tyndale and Redesdale
Redesdale
Redesdale is a valley iin the western part of the county of Northumberland, in northeast England. This area contains the valley of the River Rede, a tributary of the North Tyne River. Redesdale includes the settlements of Elsdon, Otterburn, Rochester, Byrness and Carter Bar.Historically this...
to meet from Whitsunday
Whitsunday
Whitsunday may be:Days:* The Sunday of the feast of Whitsun or Pentecost in the Christian liturgical year, observed 7 weeks after Easter* One of the Scottish quarter days, always falling on 15 MayPlaces:* The Electoral district of Whitsunday...
to Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
at Kershope Bridge. The Commissioners not only met here, but "gave bail for their good behaviour to one another."
In 1473, the Scottish and English Ambassadors met to agree that more frequent meetings of the marcher Wardens were to be held at the six recognised sites on the marches. These were 'Newbyggynfurde, Redaneburn, Gammyllispethe, Belle, Loumabanestane and Kershopebrig and the meetings were to be held at successive venues. On the 26th. March 1494 the commissioners of both countries met at the Lochmaben Stone to finally settle the long running dispute over the 'Fish Garth' across the River Esk
River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway
The River Esk is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, that flows into the Solway Firth. It also flows for a small way through the English county of Cumbria before entering the Solway....
.
Recent history
In the 1800s the tenant of Old Graitney farm decided to clear his land of the three remaining stones which ruined his field's appearance and got in the way of his machinery. He set his farm hands to work digging deep pits for the burial of the stones. One had been completely buried and another partially sunken when the proprietor, Lord Mansfield, arrived at the scene and stopped further operations. The stone was still used as a gathering place for the locality into comparatively recent times.A local tradition suggests that the stone was moved by a farm worker with an excavator, the intention being to locate any 'treasure' beneath. The local primary school attended an official re-erection ceremony which was covered by the local paper, the Dumfries and Galloway Standard 22 September 1995.
The Battle of Sark or Lochmaben Stone
The Auchinleck ChronicleAuchinleck chronicle
The Auchinleck Chronicle is a national chronicle in Middle Scots, written in Scotland in the mid-15th century. It is an important source for late medieval Scottish history....
records that on October 23 1448 a Scottish Army under the command of Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde was a Scottish Soldier and nobleman, a member of the powerful Black Douglases.He was the fourth son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas and his wife Beatrice Lindsay, daughter of Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney...
, and Sir John Wallace of Craigie won a resounding victory over the invading English forces of the younger Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland...
. There is nothing to mark the site of the battle ground. 1500 Englishmen were slain and a further 500 drowned in flight. Many prisoners were taken. Estimated Scots losses range from a low of 26 to a high of 600, the most serious of whom was Sir John Wallace of Craigie, Sheriff of Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, who was mortally wounded, dying some time after the battle.
The Old Graitney Boat Burial
At NY 31 66 a Viking boat-shaped barrow or mound existed. It was levelled around the year 1851, but no burials or Viking artefacts are recorded as having been found.Old Graitney - The 'Auld House'
This tower-house was built by the Johnstones in 1535 and burnt by the Maxwells in 1585. Locally a tower is said to have stood 180 m south of the Old Graitney Farmhouse although no traces are visible on the ground.Port Stormont
This site at NY 316 660 is recorded as having been used by smugglers. The title of Viscount Stormont is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1621 by James VI for Sir David MurrayDavid Murray, 1st Viscount of Stormont
David Murray, 1st Viscount of Stormont was a Scottish courtier, comptroller of Scotland and captain of the king's guard, known as Sir David Murray of Gospertie, then Lord Scone, and afterwards Viscount Stormont...
. It is a subsidiary tile of the Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield
Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield
Earl of Mansfield, in the County of Nottingham, and Earl of Mansfield, of Caen Wood in the County of Middlesex, are two titles in the Peerage of Great Britain that have been united under a single holder since 1843...
. The family held land in this area and no doubt some connection exists between the title and the area.
Quern stone
The upper stone of a rotary quernQuern-stone
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand grinding a wide variety of materials. They were used in pairs. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, whilst the upper, mobile, stone is called a handstone...
was found about 1976 when ploughing some 350 m SSW of Old Graitney farmhouse, where it is still held by the finder, Mr S Smith. Slightly oval in shape it measures about 30 cm in maximum diameter and is made of granite or a similar rock; there are both central and side-holes.
King Arthur
A local legend associates the Lochmaben Stone with the stone from which King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
pulled the sword Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
. However, this only agrees with some versions of the Arthurian legend. In other versions of the Arthurian legend, Excalibur was a sword that came from the water, and the sword in the stone does not have a name.