The Multiple Stone Rows Of Caithness And Sutherland Caithness

Submitted by Andy B on Tuesday, 13 September 2005 Page Views: 5478

Country: Scotland County: Caithness Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue

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**Hill o'Many Stanes** submitted by cosmic : Lost in the Stone Maze (Vote or comment on this photo)

At a number of sites throughout Caithness and Sutherland are to be found multiple rows of small standing stones. The stone usually protrude not more than 1m above the surface, and in some cases they are either barely visible or have become submerged by the growth of peat or other vegetation. They are arranged in rows, often fan-shaped in the form of a truncated cone, or, less commonly, the rows may be parallel.

Such settings of stones are often inconspicuous, sometimes hidden by heather, and may be easily overlooked. Consequently, by diligent fieldwork, more sites have been gradually discovered in recent years, and there may be yet more to be found.

The best known, and most extensive setting is undoubtedly that at Mid Clyth known as "the hill of many stanes". Although now incomplete, there still remain over 170 stones firmly set in the ground. Visiting them at the end of the 19th century Anderson (1886, 126) records over 400 stones. Since that time some of them have been removed and the setting may have originally extended further to the east. Fortunately this site is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

3 km north-east of Mid Clyth is a large concentration of similar stone settings in the Watenan area. Here some six sites are to be found quite close together. The Watenan area is perhaps the richest for antiquities in Caithness, having two separate hill-forts and a high density of burial tombs. Another setting of stone rows appears 3km to the north of the Watenan group at Battle near to the Loch of Yarrows. Again 5km to the north-west is a similar setting in the vicinity of the chambered tombs at Camster. Other single settings occur in Caithness at Dirlot and Upper Dounreay. Although at the latter location the site of a second setting is indicated on the 6" O.S. map, nothing now remains. Gunn (1915, 353) mentions two other settings in Caithness, the locations of which are no longer known, if in fact they still exist. One is "between Westfield and the village of Broubster" and the other "above Borlum in Reay (where) there is a row of 100 stones in two opposing lines".

Into Sutherland, the two sites close to the river Helmsdale and that on Learable,Hill have been known at least since the beginning of the century. However, in recent years, a further five sites have been discovered; three in the Badenloch-Rimsdale area. and two others near Borgie and Skelpick.

Site	Location	Grid Reference	Type
1	Mid Clyth	ND 295384	Fan
2	Loch Watenan	ND 318411	Fan
3	Watenan	ND 315412
4	Broughwhin	ND 313412
5	Broughwhin II	ND 312409
6	Broughwhin IV	ND 311408
7	Garrywhin	ND 314413	Fan
8	Loch of Yarrows	ND 313441	Fan
9	Camster	ND 260437	Fan
10	Dirlot	ND 123485	Fan
11	Upper Dounreay	ND 012660	Parallel
12	Upper Dounreay II	ND 007660	Destroyed
13	Skelpick	NC 722574	Parallel
14	Borgie	NC 661587	Fan
15	Loch Rimsdale	NC 716348	Fan
16	Badenloch	NC 782351	Fan
17	Kinbrace	NC 827322	Fan
18	Learable Hill	NC 892234	Parallel
19	Kildonan	NC 955185
20	Kildonan	NC 966189	Parallel

Read the full article, first published in 1980 by the Caithness Field Club, at the Caithness Community web site. Note that there are many grid reference errors in their table, hence I have corrected and included it above. I have also added links, as we have photos of most of these sites on the Portal, thanks to the research of Tom Bullock.

Note: Updated, with links

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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