Monument record MHG9588 - Dunrobin, Dairy Park, long cists and symbol stone

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred NC 8494 0057 (16m by 16m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet NC80SW
Geographical Area SUTHERLAND
Old County SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish GOLSPIE

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

NC80SW 24 8494 0057.
NC 8494 0047 (OS 6"map, annotated by J Close-Brooks 13 February 1977).
A long cist, partly covered by a Class I symbol stone and containing the skeletons of two adult males, one, of a man 6ft tall, being larger, later and much better preserved than the other, was found by workmen levelling the E part of the field below Castle Dairy (NC 8475 0050), 'six paces west from the new wall of Meg's Garden'. (Information contained in letter from G Gunn to Duke of Sutherland, 17 May 1854:
Ms 606.6 in Aberdeen Unviersity library). A report of the find was sent to the Duke of Sutherland on 17th May 1854 and it was examined by Dr Ross on 24 May.
It was paved, 8ft long NE-SW and the top and sides were each composed of three slabs. One of the cover slabs, of red sandstone, measured 3ft 8ins by 1ft 11ins by 5ins thick, and bore, incised, the fish, the 'tuning fork' and the mirror and comb symbols. The skeletal remains were accompanied by what has been identified as part of the socket of an iron spearhead, possibly Viking (Grieg 1940).
During Ross's visit, the workmen uncovered another long cist of similar construction and orientation, which contained the intact extended skeleton of a male of advanced years, lying with the feet to the NE. The remains were of the same size and condition as that of the primary burial in the first cist. There were neither grave-goods nor sculptures.
The Duke of Sutherland presented the contents of the cists to the NMAS (Acc Nos: ET 26 and IL 209), and the symbol stone is in Dunrobin Museum (Acc No: 1854.1).
These cists, together with that recorded on NC80SW 16, indicate the possible existence of a pre-Norse long cist cemetery comparable to Ackergill (ND35SW 12), with a later, possibly Viking, burial inserted into one of the cists.
(Previous to the publication of J Close-Brooks (1981) these cists were sited to NC 858 010 from Allen's locating them to 'the 50ft contour, half a mile east of Dunrobin Castle'.)
J J Ross 1855; NMAS 1892; J Anderson and J R Allen 1903; RCAHMS 1911;
S Grieg 1940; J Close-Brooks 1981; Information from TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum, by A S Henshall; OS 6"map annotated by A S Henshall,
13 February 1977.

A stone found in 1854 formed the capstone of a cist; the location (to the SW of the Castle not to the E as was formerly thought) is discussed in Close-Brooks 1980, 343-4. This stone bears the incised symbols of a fish, 'tuning fork', and mirror and comb. Dunrobin Museum.
RCAHMS 1985.

See also NC80SE 46.7


Class I - Dunrobin 1 - symbol stone bearing a salmon over a tuning fork and a mirror-and-comb.
A.Mack 1997 p.124.

Sources/Archives (11)

  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Anderson, J. 1875. 'Notes on the relics of the Viking period of the Northmen in Scotland, illustrated by specimens in the museum', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 10 1872-4, p.536-94. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 536-94. 572-3.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Ross, J J. 1855. 'Notices of two ancient graves recently opened in the vicinity of Dunrobin Castle, Sutherlandshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 1 1851-4, p.297-9. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 297-9. 297-9.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Allen and Anderson, J R and J. 1903. The early Christian monuments of Scotland: a classified illustrated descriptive list of the monuments with an analysis of their symbolism and ornamentation. pt. 3, 42.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Grieg, S. 1940. Viking antiquities in Scotland. 17.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Mack, A. 1997. Field guide to the Pictish symbol stones. 124.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: NMAS. 1892. Catalogue of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. 194, 276.
  • --- Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 101, No. 296.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Ritchie, J N G. 1985. Pictish symbol stones: a handlist 1985. 13.
  • --- Text/Publication/Monograph: Stuart, J. 1856. Sculptured stones of Scotland. 1. 35; pl. 112.
  • --- Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1963. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 1.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Close-Brooks, J. 1981. 'Excavations in the Dairy Park, Dunrobin, Sutherland, 1977', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 110 1978-80, p.328-45. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 328-45. 343-4.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Sep 17 2010 12:54PM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any questions or more information about this record? Please feel free to comment below with your name and email address. All comments are submitted to the Heritage Portal maintainers for moderation, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible. Comments, questions and answers that may be helpful to other users will be retained and displayed along with the name you supply. The email address you supply will never be displayed or shared.