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Forum: Stones Forum
Moderated by : Andy B , TimPrevett , coldrum , Klingon , MickM , TheCaptain , bat400 , davidmorgan , Runemage , SolarMegalith , sem
Respond to: Auldgirth Standing Stones, Dumfriesshire
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Lenny
Joined:
15-04-2004
Messages: 22
from Suffolk
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|  New Message Posted!2004-04-21 22:46
Thank you... Forgot to mention his Christian name was Robert
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Ghriogair
Joined:
10-04-2004
Messages: 4
from Argyll
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-21 21:49
Excellent........what a superb posting !
[ This message was edited by: Ghriogair on 2004-04-21 21:49 ]
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Lenny
Joined:
15-04-2004
Messages: 22
from Suffolk
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-21 16:02
Captain Riddel. 1755-1794. Father was held hostage by Prince Charles Stewart (1746) during the jackobite uprising. Son was educated in Dumfries and then in London. Was a very good friend of Robert Burns. Burns named his Daughter after Riddels wife Elizabeth. Riddel Was a captain in the Dragoons and as such travelled extensively. He became interested in Antiquities at an early age. His home was at Friers Carse. which he sold off to pay debts and moved into Friers Carse Hermatage in Dumfries. He wrote extensively in the London society of Antiquires paper. his main topic area of interest was Stone circles and particularly religious sites. It appears he constructed near to his home several sites of antiquities. one specificaly mentioned site is a Religious Shrine which Burns visited and mention in a letter to Riddels wife. Details are sketchy but it appears he had these places built to replicate some of the sites he had visited in the South of England. He is also attributed with being a Collector (prob. Grave Robbing) of many ancient artifacts. some time in 1794 during a rowdy drinking session it appears Burns offended Riddels Wife. As a matter of Honour Riddel refused to accept Burns to show his disaproval, unfortunatly Riddel dies during the few weeks and Burns is Distraught over never having gained his friends forgivness. After this riddel and his family seem to disapear from public veiw but his monuments live on. the site in question may and I say may have been constructed by Riddel. It is in the right area but I am unable to get a fix on any exact names of locations. the only one i have is as stated in the top. Friers Carse. I know there seems to be a lot of useless info here but it does give you an idea of Captain Riddel as a person. His writings on antiquities as mentioned above are accessable through your local library
Lenny
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Ghriogair
Joined:
10-04-2004
Messages: 4
from Argyll
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-20 20:42
OK, we seem to have an answer about who put the stones there. Thanks everyone.
Does anyone know anything about this Captain Riddel then ?
I have dowsed this site and all the magnetics etc appear to be in place, so it appears to be a 'working' stone circle. You would find the same sort of things at any 'real' antiquitous stone circle. Captain Riddel seems to have built something that is more than just a follie or ornament.
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Lenny
Joined:
15-04-2004
Messages: 22
from Suffolk
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-18 18:27
Point taken. There has been the manipulation of sites for a thousand years. The early christian church would try to irradicate former pagan site, and even upto the mid 1920's some over zelous members of the church still tinkered with these sites. The particular stones in question may very well have appeared in the late 18c. yet it was the Victorians who accelerated this process. I may not have made myself clear, my point being that the sudden appearance of these sites was often due to the FASHION of having a site of antiquity in your back garden. I hope that makes my earlier comment a little clearer.
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kelpie
Joined:
15-02-2001
Messages: 283
from Pickering, North Yorks
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-17 21:24
They can hardly be Victorian if they were built in the late eighteenth century.
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Lenny
Joined:
15-04-2004
Messages: 22
from Suffolk
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-17 19:20
Fake Antiquities are unfortunatly not that uncommon. There is a well known case of a 19th Centuary Vicar, Off the top of my head I think his name was Carmichael, who had a fettish for anything historic, he built a Norman Castle, A Quoit, and a stone circle all within a few miles of each other in North Wales. The Victorians loved anything of antiquity so if you did not have anything on your property you simply built one! This is also bourne out by the number of archaeological digs in the name of science, that have destroyed many of Britains burial sites. the artifacts recovered were generaly never recorded and simply disapeared into private collections that have been lost to the vagaries of time. Personaly I find this distressing as these are at the end of the day someones grave... and should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of how long they have been dead. ( rant over) I hope this will help you to see why the stone in question are recorded as fake. They are probibly Victorian
Regards Lenny
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kelpie
Joined:
15-02-2001
Messages: 283
from Pickering, North Yorks
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-17 15:56
CANMORE says
An imitation Bronze Age circle built of weathered stones by Captain Riddel who was the owner of Friar's Carse, Dunscore, in the late eighteenth century. (See also NX89NE 23)
Trans Dumfriesshire Galloway Natur Hist Antiq Soc 1948
A bogus stone circle of 38 stones, all standing except three, one of which is in the centre and one just W of the circle. The stones vary in height from 1' to 7'.
Surveyed at 1/2500 scale.
Visited by OS (BS) 12 June 1975.
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Ghriogair
Joined:
10-04-2004
Messages: 4
from Argyll
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-17 04:47
The Circle in question is called Temple Wood, does anyone have any information regarding this Circle ? (NX 9184 8522)
The Circle is listed as being of 'Nil Antiquity'. Why is this ? How old does not being listed as an antiquity make it ?
[ This message was edited by: Ghriogair on 2004-04-17 04:51 ]
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Ghriogair
Joined:
10-04-2004
Messages: 4
from Argyll
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| New Message Posted!2004-04-10 16:28
I have been looking for information regarding the standing stone circle at Auldgirth in Dumfriesshire. All that I can find is that the stones are apparently fake. They don't appear on any of the maps I have looked at either.
Can anyone shed any light on this ? Why are the stones classed as 'fakes' ?
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