Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 59

A pointed stone set in a wooden haft of gean or wild cherry was founded embedded in peat. The stone shows no sign of working.

This class of artefact comprises small stone implements which are wholly or partially chipped round the edges from one face only. They have been found in a number of locations in Roxburghshire and Berwickshire.

The Old Statistical Account of Kenmore, published in 1796 refers to a number of wells or tiobairts thought to have healing properties. Five were identified by the author. A stone circle on Remony Hill has six stones remaining though originally there were probably nine. Excavation in the centre of the circle revealed a deposit of cremated human bone and charcoal.

Excavation of a round cairn at Ham revealed a single chamber and an entranceway. The presence of only limpet shells and fish bones within the chamber suggested that it had been re-used as a habitation. A stone-built hut circle had an entrance, a paved floor and a possible hearth. Two earth-houses lay side by side and were of broadly similar form with two chambers and an entranceway. Limpet shells were found in both structures. The larger earth-house also contained the skull and mandible of a child, a saddle quern and rubber. A few sherds of pottery were found outside. One of the lintels in the chamber of an earth-house at Crichton Mains has the carved figure of a pegasus or winged horse.

Gorten Bay is traditionally the site of two battles, one between the Scots and the Scandinavians and one 'later'. A variety of artefacts have been recovered including Viking clinch nails and glass, medieval weapons and a coin of Edward I. Later finds include a coin of Charles II and musket balls and these may hint at a third skirmish.

A quantity of coins, two spoons, and a cane top of silver were discovered in 1923. The spoons are similar in shape and ornamentation. On the back of the stem of both spoons are the Edinburgh hall-marks I S (John Scott), a castle, and I F (John Fraser). On the cane top is engraved a shield bearing the arms of Cuninghame of Cuninghamehead, in the parish of Dreghorn, in Ayrshire, the arms being a shake-fork between two garbs and a mullet-in-chief, with the letters DEC. The coins number 351 and range in date from the reign of Edward VI to Charles I. The silver spoon from Haddington has on the front of the top of the stem an engraved rude foliaceous\r\ndesign with a heart-shaped ornament below, and there is an incised triangle at the foot. On the back of the stem are the hall-marks D B (David Bog, maker), a castle, and I S (James Symonstoun, deacon of the incorporation, 1665-7), and the groove\r\nmade in testing the quality of the metal. On the back of the bowl are the initials B M. The spoon was made in Edinburgh about 1666.

At Craigmaddie Muir the complete group of carvings on a living rock consists of the cruciform figure, a small cup-shaped hollow, a small serpent-like carving, and another like the impression of the right foot of an adult above the medium height, all fairly well preserved. Three crosses are in the churchyard at Luss. Two are carved slabs with Latin crosses. The third had originally been free-standing and was carved on both sides. Two stones at Roseneath have crosses and swords, while the third has plain rope moulding. At Dumgoyach and Kilmun crosses are associated with cup marks. An example from Barnakill has a cross and Hiberno-Saxon miniscules (lower-case lettering).

A small incised cross in a circle was discovered close to the four already known at St Ninian's Cave. At Barmore a fragment of a cross-slab is set into a modern drystone shrine. It has a large central cross with a smaller cross in each angle. Each of the smaller crosses is enclosed by brackets.

The result of the excavations has been to reveal three, if not four,systems of ditches. The defences of the Antonine Fort were found to have consisted of a rampart,\r\nprobably made of clay, and raised on a cradling of quarried stone, with two ditches in front of it on the south side and, seemingly, three on the west. Where the rampart forms a junction with that of the Antonine vallum, the remains of a small circular turret were discovered. The western gateway was located. The foundations of the Principia were identified, and gave conclusive evidence of, at least, two periods of reconstruction, the dimensions of the earliest of the structures showing a headquarters building, probably as large as, if not larger, than any other found in\r\nBritain. Flanking this foundation on either side were the sites of two long buttressed buildings. Pottery, brooches and iron objects were recovered, in addition to a coin of Pius of AD 151.

A skeleton was buried with a small, pointed bronze blade, two other small pieces of bronze, a barbed and stemmed arrow-head without its shaft, and a flint knife, the last two objects being calcined. The grave was cut into the natural rock and had a cover slab. The condition of the bone suggests that it had been partially burnt and may well have been a failed attempt at cremation. Brief accounts of a beaker from a cist at Elrick Hill, a Food Vessel and a socketed axe from Pitcaple are also presented.

Tigh nan Fiarnain consists of a roughly circular drystone chamber with a annexe abutting on the south-west. six pillars supported the roof of the structure. There is an entrance but no passageway.

A stone-built short cist with cover slab was discovered at Castle, Rendall. The only item within was a hammer-stone.

Four skeletons buried in a row, heads to the west, were found in the choir between the two lines of pillars, right on the main axis of the church; and in one of the graves the upper portion of a crosier and what appears to be a chalice and paten were also found suggesting this was the grave of a bishop. An oak case containing human bones was found in one of the pillars and are supposed to be part of the skeleton of St Magnus. The report refers to earlier discoveries of human bone and considers whether they might be the remains of St Magnus and St Rognvald. The fact that the bones were hidden in pillars suggests they were moved at some point for safekeeping.

The Lang Steen is a large unshaped monolith which bears an inscription in ogam and a double disc connected by a cross-bar. The inscription is interpreted as 'Avuo Anunao soothsayer of Dovenio'.