"mmM > \ ! , k '■ 1^ /I 1 ( 1 ' I • I I THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ■% W' %-' L lit > 4^ 1» '/ ■_ , t, I 1 .\ ■ I '. 'mil ANGUS FORFARSHIRE. LAND AND PEOPLE, DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL. BY ALEX. J. WARDEN, F.S.A. Scot., AlTlIOn OV "the linen trade," and "the burgh LAWd OF DUNDEE." VOL. I. IB u n b 1 1 : CHAKLES ALEXANDER & CO. MDCCCLXXX. DUNDEE : PRINTED AT THE " COURIEl! AND AROUS OFFICE. DA V.l THIS WORK IS, WITH SPECIAL PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO ^be lEavl of Stratbmove, LORD LIEUTENANT OF FORFAESHIKE, BY THE AUTHOR. Wo. ^/L 71S628 PREFACE. In Angus or Forfarshire there arc many scenes of wondrous beauty and grandeur, unsurpassed in any shire in the country. It is largely engaged in the linen Trade, and it is the great scat and centre of the Jute Industry of the kingdom. It takes rank with any other county in Scotland for its Agri- culture, Manufactures, and Commerce ; and, Historically, it holds a first place in Church and State. Forfarsliire is situated somewhat out of the main line of the pleasure tourist, and those who pass through it generally do so at railway speed. Its wealth of scenery, of every variety, is thus all but unseen, and its many important and interesting features are little known. Several highly valuable works, historical and descriptive, have been written, dealing with sections of our rich and beautiful shire, but hitherto no general description of Angus, and no consecutive historical account of the land and the people, has ever been published. Attempting to supply in some measure this generally felt want, I have now the j^lcasure of issuing to my friends and subscribers Volume I. of Angus or Forfarshire, a work which has for many years engaged my attention. I had hoped to have this volume in their hands at the end of last year, but as the work progressed the matter increased ; and being desirous to render it as full and as correct as possible, publication has been retarded. Volume II. will, I trust, be ready for distribution early in 18S1 ; and Volume III., to conclude the work, also in the course of that year. vi PREFACE. I gratefully thank my numerous friends who have subscribed for the work, and which has afforded me much encouragement. My best thanks are also due to many kind friends who have assisted me by the use of books of great value from tlieir collections, and otherwise. Amongst these I have specially to thank Mr Eobt. Dickson, F.S.A. Scot., of Carnoustie, by whose kind permission I am enabled to give, as a frontispiece to this volume, a reduced fac-simile of the extremely rare map of the county accompanying the description of Angus by the Rev. IIobt. Edward, citizen of Dundee, and minister of Murroes, published iu 1G78; to Mr Geo. B. Simpson, F.S.A. Scot., Merchant, Dundee, for throwing open to me his extensive and valuable collection of rare books; to Mr Alex. D. Grimond, of Glenericlit and Rochallie, for the loan of many valuable books from his fine library ; to Mr Thomas Thornton and Mr Eobeet Smitif, Solicitors, for the loan of scarce works ; to Mr William Smith, late teacher, Monifieth ; Mr John Morris, late teacher, Mains ; Mr William Gellatly, Merchant, Dundee ; Rev. K. R. LiNGARD-GuTHRiE, F.S.A. Scot., Taybank ; Rev. Chas. Rogers, LL.D., Grampian Club, London, and others, for tlie perusal of interesting books ; to Mr Allan Mathewson, Corr. Mem. F.S.A. Scot., Merchant, Dundee; and Mr John Stuurock, F.S.A. Scot., Engineer Surveyor, Dundee, for valuable information and aid ; and to Mr John Maclauchlan, Chief Librarian and Curator, Dundee Free Library, for the ready access he has afforded me to books in the library, when and as I found them necessary. I trust the importance of the subject, and the absence of such a work hitherto, will excuse for me, to a large extent, deficiencies in the execution of the laborious task I had set myself. To the several noble Lords who revised the proof sheets of what I had written regarding their respective families I feel very grateful. Volume 11. will contain, besides a continuation of the " Historical and Noble Families," an account of the old relii^ious houses in the county ; the geoogy of Angus, which Dr James (iEikie, F.R S., of H.M. Geological PREFACE. ■^■u Survey, has kindly agreed to write for me ; the botany of the shire, which Mr Edwaku Moiu, Merchant, Dundee, is to supply me with ; and a descrip- tion of each parish, alphabetically arranged ; the history of its lands ; and, where I am able to obtain the information, a genealogical account of the proprietors, witli the family arms. In order to muke this as complete as possible, I respectfully request the several landowners to supply me with particulars of their family history, and a description of their coat armorial, as none will be given which I do not know to be correct. As a frontispiece to this volume I am to give a fine map of the county, showing the several parishes in colours, specially prepared for the work by Mr John Bartholemew, Engraver of the Ordnance Survey Maps of Scotland. Volume III. will contain the account of the parishes not included in the second volume ; a historical account of the county divided into the Roman, Alban, Midiaival, and Modern periods ; and its Ecclesiastical History. A simile of a charter of the teinds of lands in the parish of Kingoldrum, signed by Cardinal Beaton and the monks of the Abbey of Aberbrothock, will be given as a frontispiece to this volume, and similes of other old charters will be included in the volume. ERRATA. Page. 61 — Line 14— ^o>* rind read ring. 20— For protects read protect. 22 — For adavntage read advantage. 31 — For Clova read Glenisla. 22 and 23 — For Car Lochio read Carlochie. 16 — For becomes feet I become. 32 — For early in tliis read middle of last. 5 — For Turrin reael Turin. 161— Section III. toprcrtele Forests, Soil, &c. 182 — Line 34 — For cultivated. Barley read cultivated barloy. 11— Ago ill thh line shoulel U in 10. n— Delete as. 24 — For purchased reael procured, 37 — For Ramsay read Ramey. 32 — .\nd to sx'.ceeed and ■ • 12 ,, II.— Standixg Stoxes, 15 „ III. — CROMI.ECH.S, • 17 „ rv. — Rocking Stones, 17 „ v.— Stone Circles, . 18 ,, VI. —Sculptured Stones, • • • • • 21 Aberlemuo, . 23 Benvie, . 24 Brechin, . 24 Craig, . 24 Dundee, . 25 Diinnichen, . 25 Eassie, . . 25 Faruell, . 25 Glamis, . . 26 Invergowrie, 27 Keillor, . 27 Kettins, • • 28 Kingoldrum, . 28 Kinnell, 28 Kirriemuir, • • ■ • • . 28 Menmuir, ..... 29 Monifieth, • . 29 Monikie, 30 St Vigeans, . . 31 Strathmartine, 32 Meigle, . . 33 ,, Vll. — Kitchen Middens, 40 PART III. -FORTS ANB WEEMS. Chap. I.— LsTBODrcTORY, . • . • • 13 ,, II. — FlNHA-i-EN, , . 43 ,, III.— Caterthun, * . . . . 46 „ IV.— The Laws, . . 49 „ v.— Sundry Hill Fobts, . . . . . 51 „ VI.— Weems, . ..... . 53 ,, VII. — Roman, , 67 CONTENTS. PART IV.— DESCRIPTIVE. SECTION I.-ANGUS IN DISTRICTS. Pag» Ch.u>. I. — Introductory, ...... 62 ,, II. — HlUHLAND.S, ....... . 68 ., III. — Steatumorb, ...... 81 „ IV.— SiDLAWS, ....... . 92 ,, V. — Maritime, ....... 96 „ VI.— Bell Rock Lighthouse, ..... . in ,. VII. — Conclusion, ...... 110 SECTION II.— RIVERS AND LOCHS. „ VIII.— Rivers, ....... 117 Isla, . 118 South Esk, ...... 125 North Esk, ...... . 131 Various Streams, ..... 143 Tay, ....... . 145 ,, IX. — Lochs, ....... 14(i Lundie Lochs, ...... . 147 Forfar, ....... 147 Fithie, ....... . 148 Rescobie, ...... 149 Balgavies, ....... • 149 Drumore, ...... 150 C'arlochie, Glen Mark, ..... . 150 Do. Craig Maskeldie, .... 151 Lochlte, ....... . 152 Esk 154 Brandy, ....... . 155 Wharral, 151) Stony, . 157 Monikie, ...... 157 Lintrathen, ...... . 158 SECTION III.-FORESTS, SOIL, CROPS, AND ROADS. ,, X. — Fokests, ....... . 161 Drimmie, ...... 163 Kingennie, ....... . 163 Kilgary, ...... 164 Kingoldrum, ...... . 160 Lyffeden, ...... 160 Montreathmont, ...... . 167 ,, XL— Soil, ....... 172 „ XII.— Crops, . 182 „XIII.— Roads 188 ,, XIV.— Agkicultukal Lmplements, . ■ , . . . 191 CONTENTB. JfART v.- MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND EVENTS. Page Introductory, . . . . . . . .194 The C'ateran ; King James the First ; Foreigners' Reports of Scotland ; Coals — Little Men and Comely Women, ..... 195 Englisli Suj'plies for the King of Scots ; .Stipemls of the Clergy ; Slavery, . 19G A great Wind aid au intense Frost; Royal Burghs burned; an imprisoned Bishop's allowance ; Value of Cattle ; Soldiers' Fay ; Pay of a Judge, . 197 Famine and Plague ; t tod and Equipment of Scotch Soldiers, . . . 198 Dietary in Angus ; compulsory Cultivation of Grain, .... 199 Imported Luxuries ; English Manners introduced ; Cultivation of Wheat enforced- Hoarding Grain prohibited, ..... 200 Forestallers punished; Importation of Grain; Dress -The Roman Period; Introduction of English habits, ...... 201 Founding of Monasteries and Uurghs, ...... 202 Attire of Ct'mmon and Middle Classes ; Do. of the Noble Classes ; Distinguish- ing- Class Dresses ordered, . . . . . . . 203 A Foreigner's Account of the Dress of the Scots ; A Royal Order on Dress; Burgesses, their Wives and Daughters ; Attire of the Nobles ; Pattern Dresses ordered by the King. ....... 204 The Rich only to wear Silk ; Shoes ; The Royal Attire ; Ladies' Dresses, . 20.5 Gentlemen's Dresses ; Dresses of the Commonalty ; Royal Progress into Edin- burgh—The Royal Dresa, ...... 206 Another Royal Progress ; Piukerton on Dress, ..... 207 The Battle of the Standard ; Bannockburn ; Offensive and Defensive Arms, 208 Archery encouraged ; Football and Golf prohibited ; Defensive Armour, . 209 War Horses protected; Cannon introduced; Wapinshaws and Weapons used at them ; Foreign Weapons ; Burgh Life — Father and Son, . . 210 A Royul Musician ; Musical Instruments — Taste encouraged, . 211 Royal Reception; Fairs, &c., ....... 212 Amusements; Supr titions, ........ 214 Christmas Fare and Sports. . . . . . . .216 The Mtrt ; Places of Public Entertainment, . . . . . 217 The Liquor Trade, . . . . . . . . .218 Stars and Comets, ........ '220 Pest or Plaguo, . . . . . . . . .221 Clerical Dress, ......... 222 Merchants' Dress ; Early Meals, ....... 223 ExLHivagance in Dress ; Wedding Ceremonies of the Rich, . . . 224 Marriage of the Poor ; Firearms ; A Tunnel and a Railway, . . . 225 Hoops for Ladies' Dresses ; Dancing Assemblies ; Frost and Snow Storm, . 226 Murrain among Cattle ; Earthquakes ; an extraordinary Frost, . . 227 1 he lufct Wolt kiUed in Scotland, ...... 228 Concluding Remarks, ....... 229 xu CONTENTS. Chap. I ,. II. IV. V, PART VI. -LANGUAGE, . PART VII.-EDUCATION, PART VIII.— HISTORIC AND NOBLE FAMILIES. ■Introductory, ..... ■Earls of Angus, ...... Earls op Home, ..... III.— Earls of CKA'nTORD, ..... Earls op Strathmore, .... Earls of Southesk, ..... It VI. — Earls of Paxmure, Earls of Dalhousie, .. Vn. — Earls op Airlie, „ VIII. — Earls of Northesk, )i IX. — Earls op C'amperdowx, „ X. — Eakls of Wharnclipfk, IXDEX, .... Page 231 251 263 2CA 306 310 336 357 379 41.5 419 4;il 436 442 445 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. PART I. PEIMEVAL EACE. ' ' V^tS'l^^''"^ ^^ ^^^^ beginning" is a common saying, but it is often difficult, '^^^^1 and f.onietimcs impossible, to discover the beginning. It is indeed all but impossible to tell when the history of a nation begins. In primitive times tliere was the patriiirchal progenitor of a family, around whom his cliildrcn would naturally settle. In time the circle would widen and widen, the law of primogeniture determining the fixmily chief. These, and other families similarly placed, would conjoin for protection, and for other objects mutually beneficial, acknowledging a common chief. This process being continued the community would increase in numbers, differences arise amon"- the members, legislation for the purpose of settling these, and of carrying on the affairs of the commonwealth would become necessary, and, finally, a regular form of govermnent be established. It might be long after this period had been reached before any one would think of writing the history of the nation, as the agglomeration may now be called. Then, the infancy of the communitv for- gotten, an imaginary, fabulous story would sui)ply its place. Tlie more extrava- gant the tale the better would it please, as it is human nature to prefer an exalted to a lowly ancestry, and some ancient nations professed to be descended from the gods. If it is thus with people advanced in civilization, it is folly to attempt to trace to its infancy the liistory of a barbarous people, though coming as the aborigines of Scotland must have come, as a numerous tribe. They came, they 2 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part I. remained a \\hile, they clii^appeared, and lliiir only legacy to modern times is their ^e])ulchres. Some district in Central Asia was the first abode of man, whence families or tribes migrated in all directions. A body of these wanderers, after jiassing througli Scythia, then continental Kurope, found a home in iScotland. When they came is unknown ; but there can h^ no doubt tliey were a rude uncultivated race. Tliis is known by the memorials of them which yet remain. They had been tlriveu onward by new hordes from the parent stock, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, until flopped by the ocean, a barrier they could not surmount. None of the aboriginal race remain to tell their storj', and history is altogether wanting. The Fins, and La])ps. the Samoyedes and other tribes, inhabiting the extreme northern parts cf Europe and Asia, had been pushed into these sterile regions by successive multitudes pressing behind. These, or one of them, may be a kindred race to the primitive people who first found their way to North Britain, although Swedish ethnologists reject the idea that the Fins were the first inhabitants of Finland, and believe the Aborigines were a still earlier race. Kecent authori- ties are of opinion that the Iberian or Bas(iue Crania bear more resemblance to the priiueval race in Scotland than any other known race. They also dwelt in caves, and buried their dead in a similar manner. Whoever the primitive inhabitants were, or from what family they were descended, may never be known, but it is certain that they arrived at a very remote period. Whether the primitive race is wholly extinct, or their blood still mingles in the veins of the present inhabitants, is also unknown. From an examination of the fossil and other remains immediately before the advent of man into Scotland, it is seen that a great part of the country must have been covered with forests, in which roamed many races of animals long since extinct. The continent of Europe must have presented similar features to the early wanderers as they forced iheir way onward, and many a hard struggle they must have had opening up a path through the dense under- growth among the trees, and harder tight with the denizens of the forest. How many generations passed away before they reached the confines ot Europe, and crossed the sea to their island home, man cannot tell. Arrived, the same work had to be gone through before they could settle down in their new country, but the skill originally possessed by the emigrants, or acquired on their journey, enabled them to bring it to a close, and to go in and possess the land. From the period of their settlement in the country they began to Part L] PRIMEVAL RACE. 3 record their history in stone, and very interesting are the memorials they have left of tliemselves. To reach Britain, which was an island long before the foot of man trod upon it, a vessel of some kind was necessary for their tran- sport hither, no matter from what point they started. In Dumfriesshire, in the Carse of Falkiric, near the Clyde, in Aberdeenshire, and elsewhere, canoes have been found, at depths varying from five to thirty feet below the present surface of the ground. The one found in tlie Carse of Falkirk, not fiir from tlie town, and therefore far from a navigable water, was at a depth of thirty feet. Another found on the banks of the Carron, at a depth of fifteen feet, was, from the superincumbent strata, clay, shells, moss, sand, and gravel, by some thoug'it to be " antediluvian." It measured thirty-six feet long by four feet in extreme breadth, formed of a .single oak tree, smooth outside and inside, with a pointed stem and square stern. Was it in such vessels as this that the primeval race reached the Briti-sh shores, or did they come in the little skin covered currachs which were used at a much later period ? The primeval race were entirely ignorant of metals. Arrow heads and spear heads of flint, stone celts, and wooden clubs were their weapons for the chase and for war ; flakes of flint were their knives, stone hammers and axes their tools, vessels of baked clay and stone were their household utensils, articles of bone and horn served them for needles, pins, and other useful purposes, the skins and furs of animals were their clothing, and their dwellings were pits, or slight excavations in the ground, protected by walls of turf, and covered with boughs of trees, interlaced with twigs, bent, or reeds to keep out the wind and the rain. Many of the weapons and other articles, found chiefly in the tombs of their chieftains, are neatly formed, not unskilfully made, and well suited tor the purposes for which they were intended. The earliest, and almost the only evidences which still e.Nist in Caledonia, to show that man in a savage state was distinguished from all other animals by the possession of intelligence and design, is the construction of the offensive and defensive weapons, and other articles found in the tombs of the Aborigines. Their dwellings and other handiworks have long since all but disappeared, but the craniums which these sepulchres contain prove that their occupants were human, and the articles beside the crumbling bones show that, though the people were rude and uncivilized, they had possessed reasoning faculties, and exercised them. Of their domestic and social relations little is known. Tliey were hunters, and lived and were clothed by the spoils of the chase. Their habits were simple, and their wants few. The remains of early British 4 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Pakt 1. forts or duns, show tliat they had combined, no doubt under the chief or patriarch of the tribe, for mutual defence against otlier clans. Through many privations, and without much increase of skill in the arts, or intellectual improvement generation followed generation throughout the stone period. How long that era lasted is altogether unknown, but it must have taken many centuries for a thinly scattered people to produce the abundance of so laboriously formed weapons and implements, found throughout the length and breadth of the country. We know from the earliest written record, that stone implements were in use at an early period among the Israelites. Zipporah, the wife of J\loses, took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son. The sharp stone had no doubt been a piece of flint, which was better adapted for such a purpose than a knife of iron. Flint weapons and implements were in general use among early nations in Asia, in Europe, and even in America, and they are still used by barbarous tribes in Africa, and in the Isles of the ISea, who have not tlie means of procur- ing iron wherewith to form these, to them, necessary articles. There are not wanting evidences, even in the stone period, that new comers intruded on the earhest arrivals. This is principally shown by the diflerences in the mode of interment, some bodies having been buried without regard to the direction in which they were laid, while others were deposited uniformly in one direction. The articles deposited in the tombs also differ materially. It is no light cause that will induce a people to make a radical change in their funereal customs, a matter to barbarous races of vital importance. The stone pcriud was brought to a close by the introduction of the smelting pot, and the substitution of weapons, implements, and utensils of bronze for those of stone. The revolution, though it took place slowly, became thorough, and produced momentous results. Wilson s;iys the stone peridd " presents us with the hel])lessness of childhood without its promise ; tlie bronze period is the healthful infancy of a vigorous and magnificent manhood." There can be no doubt that the primeval races in Scotland iiad communication with other races, as they possessed abundance of flint, which was used for many purposes, and it is not met with abundantly in the northern districts. It may have been brought from Ireland, or England. In either case it had to be imported, and this necessitated a species of trade or barter, skins having probably been given in exchange. It would be interesting to know how the traffic was conducted. The metallic revolution was produced by the advent of another colony, who, to reach their new home, had no doubt also traversed Europe. These Part I.] PRIMEVAL RACE. 5 intruders were probably another branch of the early Allophylian inhabitants, as they appear to have had many customs in common with their precursors, although the craniums of the two differ in. some respects. This later arrival, as well as the previous ones, are unknown races, all of them ha\-ing in the course of time disappeared before the more powerful Celtic famil}' who followed them. The primitive race which comes nearest to the type of these old Caledonians are the Aztecs of Central America. The extinction of the stone period was a work of time, and even on the arrival of the Celtte, traces of it remained. Bronze was never plentiful in the countiy, and it was therefore costly, which compelled the artificer to manufacture most of the builder imple- ments of stone. To make stone weapons without metallic tools was a most laborious work, and it is wonderful how the rude barbarous people were able in primeval times, and before bronze was introduced, to form the beautiful arrow heads (elf shots, or elf arrows of the Scottish lowlands), spear heads, celts, &c., found so abundantly in the country. Even with the aid of metallic tools it requires considerable skill and time to form and polish them. The gracefully formed arrow and spear heads, and other flint articles found in many parts of :!^cotland, and in other countries, have excited the admiration and the wonder of civilized races in modern times. The primitive people by whom they were formed had no metallic tools wherewith to fabricate them, and the process of their manufacture has been a mystery. Attempts have been made to imitate these articles, by chipping pieces of flint with pebbles, the only hard material at the command of the early makers of them, but with little success, as chips often fly off where not wanted, and spoil the article in process of fabrication. It is therefore a work of great uncertainty to perfect any, even the simplest, article in this manner. An American has recently discovered a mode of forming flint articles, which may have been, and probably was, the one adopted by the early races of men. it is as follows : — Instead of chipping the flint, flake it. From a mass of moderate bulk, strike off a flake of a size suitable for the intended article. If for an arrow head, trim it roughly with a pebble into a leat' shape, with a rugged edge. Take a pointed reed of bone or horn, press it on the sharp edge of the flint, turn it up suddenly and a flake will fly off from the point where the pressure was applied, in a direction which can be foreseen and controlled ; or, scale flakes oft' the surface by repeated blows with a hammer stone upon its edge, at right angles to its plane, finally point and notch the arrow head with the bone flaking instrument. In this way, he says, the most delicate and fragile shapes of arrow heads or other articles can 6 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part I. be made witli a certainty not otlierwise attainable, and with less breakage than by any other mode of flibrication. Wilson says " from the remotest era to which tradition points, the Celts are found in possession of the north-west of liurope." Driven themselves by yonnger races from the eastern centre whence the human family came, they had no doubt pushed onwards an older race, perhaps the metallurgists who found a home in North Britain. Of the older people there is no historical record, the Collie being the most ancient race in Western Europe of whom almost anything is known. The Celtre occupy a transitional place in the history of the human family, being at once the earliest known intruders, and the latest nomads of Europe. " They seem to have fled ever forward, like night before the dawn." In this they only followed the footsteps of their predecessors. The Celtic immigrants unquestionably ar'-ived in Nortli Britain at an early period, though late when compared with the primeval race, but no data are known to exist which reveal the time of their arrival. When they came they found the older inhabitants in possession of weapons and implements of bronze of their own manufacture. This Arian race possessed good mental capacity in their original homes, but although in their long wanderings they lost much of their pristine vigour, when once again permanently settled, their inherited talents soon enabled them to acquire the supremacy over the prirr'- eval occu])ants of the count ry, and at last to become the sole possessors of it. What became of the Allopliyiian aborigines is not known, bat, like other native races in modern times, it is probable they had gradually died out, until at last the race became extinct. Herodotus, the father of history, born about the year B.C. 484, says — *' Neither am 1 better acquainted with the islands called the Cassiterides, from which we are said to have our tin." This word signifies tin ; and there is little doubt that by the " Tin Islands," he refers to Cornwall and the IScilly Isles. It is probable that the Phoenicians traded with the natives of these countries at a much earlier ])eriod than that ; iiuleed it may have been from thence that the Egyptians derived the tin, which, mixed with copper, composed the materials of their earliest tools. If this supposition be correct, it shows that Britain must have been peopled, and her tin mines worked at a very remote period. The Carthagenians carried on the trade long after the earlier nations ceased to send their fleets to our island shores. The intercourse thus so long carried on between the Britons and the Maritime States on the Mediter- ranean, who were far advanced in the arts, and had attained a con.siderable Part L] PEIMEVAL RACE. 7 degiee of civilii?ation, must have rubbed ofi much of their native barbarism and quickened their mental faculties. They became merchants as well as miners, and, according to Strabo, trafficked with the strangers in furs and skins, as well as tin and lead, getting in exchange earthenware, salt, vessels of copper, bronze implements, &c. The furs and skins imply a home as well as an export trade, as the animals must have been killed in the interior of the country, and these and perhaps the carcases also, transported to mining districts v/hich were near the coast. In this way the civilization acquired on the seaboard would be carried inwards, and permeate throughout the country. The " Ora Slaritima," of Fcstus Avienus, about B.C. 400, mentions that when the Carthagenian traders visited Britain, the larger island was occupied by the Alhiones, a pure Celtic race, and the smaller island by the Gens Hihernorum. It was between that time and the invasion of Julius Caesar, that the newer continental races, termed by him Britanni, intruded into the country, and drove the ^//ji'o?us into the remoter districts of Wales, and Cornwall, and into Scotland, and to this cause Albion was afterwards exclusively applied to Scotland. The people being the Albanich of Welsh and Celtic, or native writers ; the race of Albanus of the " Albanic Duan ;" and the Aibiones of Festus Avienus. The Phoenicians had found the trade with Britain to be very profitable, as they long concealed the situation of the Cassiterides from all other nations. They were, perhaps, the earliest navigators, and, hardy and fearless, they passed beyond the Pillars of Hercules, founded Cadiz, launched their barks into the wide Atlantic, sailed along the western coast of Europe, discovered the Scilly Isles and South Cornwall, and were rewarded for their bold enterprise by the riches derived from the new trade thus opened up to them. Pioneers in the art of navigation, the i-ace with whom the Phoenician sailors traded in Britain have long held a jire-eminence in the same noble calling, and the daring sons of Britain are to be found trading with the nations in all parts of the world. The Celtic tribes, borne onward, like the north-east wind, by some strong impulse, arrived in the Crimea, and for a time settled there. They were then known as Cymri, and the Strait which passed through their country was called the Cimmerian Bosphorus. Flooded by the waters of the Don, and harassed by the native Scythians, they left the " summer country" and emigrated, as has been already told, en masse westward through Europe, as other races had done at earlier periods. They occupied Caul and the adjacent countries, from some of which they found their way to Britain, and it may 8 ANGCrS OR FOEFARSHIRE. [Part I. have been tlie Celtt« wliora Cfesar found in the interior when he invaded the country, and thought they were indigenous. The Belgas— from Belgium — then occupied the maritime parts, probably the eastern and south- eastern coasts. The PhaMiicians were a kindred race to tlie Gauls or CeUs, and spolie a dialect of the same language, and many of that people, during their long intercourse with Cornwall, settled there and became amalgamated with the native race. These Celtic immigrants, on their arrival in Scotland, as has already been related, speedily formed settlements, and pushed out the aboriginal races. These Celts, like their posterity in modern times, were divided into many independent and rival clans, each under a chief, to whom the clansmen were subordinate. Thus tliey continued until the arrival of the Romans under Agricola, when, for their mutual protection, they first became united under Galgacus, and they appear to have continued united during the time of the Eonian invasion. At this period the Celtic race, called Caledonians by their invaders, were numerous, well armed, and very brave. With the epoch of the arrival of the Romans in Scotland the primeval period ends, the nusLs which shroud tlio.se dark ages are dispelled, light breaks in upon the scene, tlie historic era begins, theories give place to facts, and wayside finger posts, though sometimes far apart, guide the pathway. Before taking the onward journey it may not be out of place to advert for a little to the past. Previous reference is made to the bronze period. The Celtic race would no doubt contribute largely to the perfection of the metallurgic art in Scot- land, and from the specimens v/hich have been found in tombs, mosses, ruins, and other places throughout the country, consisting of swords, daggers, S[)ear- heads, implements of various sorts, personal ornaments, and many other articles, it is seen that native art, though still young, had then arrived at an advanced stage of progress. The Celtas were in their eastern home, nomades ; and in Scotland they soon reverted to their pastoral life again, their flocks and herds requiring their time and attention, and supplying them with food and clothing. The artificial state of modern society, with its subdivision of labour, was to them unknown ; the fixbrication of the elegant bronze brooches and other ornaments must therefore have required much time, and no little ingenuity, with the rude tools they possessed. The early inhabitants of Scotland, Aborigines and Celts, had small hands, and the beauty of their teeth is stirprising, as there is seldom one of them Part I.] PRIMEVAL RACE. 9 unsound or one missing, excepting in the cases of evident old age ; indeed the crowns of their teeth are not worn down. They had fed on the niilk of their flocks, and on tlie venison obtained in the forests with which much of the country was then covered. The sugar of the West Indies was to them unknown, and but for it, the teeth in modern times would have been sounder than they generally are. Those primeval races did not require a dentist. In the earlier sepulchres the sword of the warrior is found by his side — laid there, no doubt, lor use when he awoke from his long sleep. Fightings here, fightings hereafter. No rest here, nor hope of rest hereafter. In the cists of later generations, broken bronze swords are found beside the cinerary urn, telling of new and better ideas than their ancestors had held of the unknown land to which their dead departed friends had gone. The first indicates a state of great barbarism, without a ray of light to gladden the heart now, or cheer the journey to the future home. The other proclaims a warfare accom- plished, and rest exijected in the far ofFcoiuitry. Neither of them knew of the peace which passeth knowledge — of the rest which awaiteth the people of God in the New Jerusalem. The first may have been the primeval races, the other the intruding Celts, with their Druid worship. It would be interesting to know what was the social position of woman in primeval ages. While man is in the savage state woman is his drudge, and she remains in much the same menial position when her lord and master passes from the savage to the barbarian phase. While the Aborigines were passing through these early stages, little is known about the social relations between the two sexes in Caledonia, but it was probably much the same as is seen to exist between them among the aborigines in Africa, in America, and in the Isles in the Pacific. The underground habitations could not afibrd much comfort to either sex, nor could the wattled dwellings and primitive homes of these early ages. Great improvements took place dming the archaic or bronze period. Household utensils, better adapted for use than the rude pottery, wood, or stone articles of former ages, were made, and with these and other kindied improvements the social position of both sexes would become higher, and something akin to comfort take the place of the previous squalor. Barbarians appropriate to themselves the ornaments and finery which, in a more civilized state, they bestow upon their helpmates. In the bronze period many beautifully-formed ornaments of gold, sliale, and amber, as well as of bronze, have been discovered, whicli had probably belonged to the females, such as finger rings, hair pins, necklaces, chains, pins 10 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part I. brooches, bracelets, beads, and many ctber things. Some fine specimens of these female ornaments have been found in sepulchres in various places in Angus. Specimens of knitted and woven woollen fabrics have also been recovered, showing the handiwork of the females in pre-historic ages, wliich exhibit considerable skill in the workmanship, and taste in the patterns pro- duced. The knitting needle had no doubt taken precedence of the loom. 'J he discovery of such articles evinces considerable amelioration in the social state of the female, and shows that if she had not yet attained her rightful position, she was drawing nearer to it. Although there is no evidence to show at what time the Celtic race arrived in Caledonia, nor information regarding the state of barbarism which existed amongst the primeval race or races on their arrival, there is no doubt that the strangers had possessed an innate superiority, which enabled them within a comparatively short period to acquire the supremacy over the native inhabi- tants The Celts were skilled workers in metals when they became first known on the continent, and the Norici, a Celtic race, appear to have first taught the Eomans tlie art of converting iron into steel. The Celts were the makers of the weapons, implements, and ornaments in metals which are found in their sepulchres. Nomades before they commenced their wanderings in their eastern home, in Caledonia they led a pastoral life, and, for many ages, were famous hunters, as well as workers in bronze and in gold, the metals then chiefly in use. A new era was now to dawn upon them. Bronze had ever been scarce and costly, but it was to be in a great measure superseded by a more useful, more abundant, and much less costly material, iron. It, like bronze, was introduced during a transition period of some length, but of the time when it was first known and worked, or when it came into general use we are ignorant. It was not, however, there is reason to believe, very many ages before the arri\-al of the Romans into Britain. It is not clearly ascertained whence the iron first used in Europe was obtained, or who were its first smelters and workers. The mythical Wayland Smith has been long and widely famed as the first metallurgist, but where he had his forge or procured his metal is an open question. Although iron abounds in Scotland, it rarely, if ever, occurs in nature in a metallic state, and it requires an intense heat and much labour to smelt it. In these respects it differs from gold, which, in early times, was found in pure masses, among quartz debris, in mountain streams in various places of Scot- Part I.] PRIMEVAL EACE. 11 land. When the uature of iron ore became known, and the art of fusing it was acquired, its value was soon appreciated and the use of tlie metal became general. Weapons or utensils of iron are not often found in the sepulchres of the natives of pre-historic times. It was but a comparatively short time in use before the page of history opens, and it oxidises so easily, and so rapidly, that the remains of many of the iron articles found have been completely corroded, and only the shape of them in rust remained. Others, however, have been discovered in stone cists, in strong oaken coffins, in mosses, and other places, in an excellent state of preservation These consist of bridle- bits, stirrup irons, and other horse furniture, a war chariot, swords, daggers, &c. ; including iron swords in bronze sheaths, and numerous rings and personal ornaments. Many of these articles display much skill and excellence in the workmanship, implying considerable practice in the artificer, a cultivated taste, and a comparatively civilized state of society. Such, it appears, was the condition of the country, and its native Caledonians, when j\gricola and his Roman legions appeared in Scotland. With the advent of that power the primeval periods ends, and classic Tacitus begins his interesting history of the Eoman and Caledonian wars. 12 ANGUS OR FOEFAESHIRE. [Part H. PAET 11. SEPULCHRAL REMAINS. I. — Introductory. ^+l^|jvr remote times it was a custom, in many nations, to entomb along with yafej emiuent persons instruments of their achievements, or sports, or emblems of their characters, and of the avocations in which they took pleasure. In the early and rude state of mankind tumuli were raised over warriors, to mark the spots where they were buried. Our primeval ancestors had kept up these cus- toms during their long wanderings from their original home in Central Asia till they settled in Scythia, while there, and on their journeyings through Europe, until they ultimately became located in the Ultima Thule of the Romans. Even there their ancient oriental funereal customs were not forgotten. Tumuli, in one form or another, are perhaps the earliest evidences that now exist of the aboriginal races in Xorth Britain. '1 here is little doubt that some of these are the work of the first human beings who ever trode on the soil, hunted the forests, or fished the rivers and lakes of Caledonia — that in one of the sepulchres under some of these tumuli lie the remains of the great p;itriarch, or warrior chief, who led the iirst family or tribe into " the land of the brave and the free." Sepulchral remains abound in every district of the country. From the earliest times the inhabitants of J^cotland have honoured their dear departed friends by providing them with suitable resting places, according to the ideas whicli the respective races held on this important subject. That they did not hold common opinions from age to age, throughout the many generations who have come and gone since the aboriginal tribes settled in the country, is abun- dantly sliown by the various modes of se]iulchre wliich everywhere abound. The mound, the cairn, the barrow, the tumulus, the soHtary stone, the cromlech. Chap. I.] INTRODUCTORY. • 13 &c., and the many peculiarities which the remains found underneath these memorials exhibit, afford evidences of different races, and of varieties in the manners and customs of even the same people. Several classes of barrows and other sepulchral remains are not uncommon in some parts of Scotland, which from their close resemblance to Scandinavian monuments, most probably owe their origin to the Vikings who invaded and colonized some portions of the Scottish coast immediately prior to the intro- duction of Christianity. These are the crowned barrow, having one or more standing stones upon it ; the inclosed or encircled barrow, a circuJar tumulus with a ditch and an earthen vallum around it ; and the Ship Barrow, bearing some resemblance to the hull of a ship with its keel uppermost. Examples of the latter are to be seen near Dunning (Terrnavie), and the " Hill of Rattray," in Perthshire. The long barrow is perhaps the earliest form of these Scottish sepulchral earth works, no metallic articles, and few remains of pottery having been discovered in them. Few of this class of barrow exist. Other styles of barrow are known by different names from their form, such as the bell barrow, the bowl barrow, and others. The tumuli are numerous, and variously constructed, some of them being mounds of earth differing in size from a few feet in diameter to fifty, or one hundred, or more ; while others are cairns of stones, diverse in size as those formed of earth, in some of which the stones are covered with mould and turf, and in others the stones are without covering. The cromlech generally stands boldly out above ground, but be veral of these huge works have been covered with earth and sods, forming lofty pyramids, on removing which the cromlech was disentombed. These hidden cromlechs afford evidence of the extraordi- nary honour and respect the survivors must have had for the deceased chief, or priest, or king, entombed beneath such vast works as the erection of the cromlechs must have been ; works not reared to be seen and admired by future generations, but to be buried, as was fondly thought for ever. Such a display of unostentatious liberality was proof of true affection. These costly tombs were reared over the bodies of the great and noble of the peoj^le of primeval times, just as the high and mighty of the land, in modern days, are laid in mau- soleums ot great magnificence, or in historic buildings at the public cost. The common people then, as now, were consigned without ostentation to a little grave, where, in a few short years, the body mouldered away and wholly dis- appeared — dust to dust. In almost every parish of Angus the sepulchres of illustrious, but long for- U ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part II. gotten dead, have been found. Chiefs and warriors, patriarchs and priests, fiimous in their day and worthy of special honour they may have been, but to the present generation " Tlieir memory and their name is gone, Alike unknovvinrr and unknown." In some of these sepulchres the only remains of the body whicli had been deposited therein, consist of a little ashes in a small urn, showing tliat the body had been burned and tlie ashes collected and put into tiie urn. The practice of cremation was undoubtedly introduced at a very early period, but inhumation long preceded it, and was in all probability the most ancient mode of disposing of the dead, as it appears to be the most natural. There are evidences of cremation in Scotland, and in Angus by the earliest people of whom we have any definite traces ; and that after it had run its course it was discontinued, and inhumation resumed its place again. The burial of the body may have been reintroduced about the end of the stone period, but, if not then, it came in with the metallurgic arts, and may marlc the advent of a new race. Tlie funeral pile, the urn, and the tumulus, are first mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, in his description of the funeral rites accorded to Hector and Patroclus, but they may have been in use in Greece long before the siege of Troy, as they were in Caledonia before the date of that celebrated event. When cremation was finally disused cannot be known, but for some time prior to that period both modes of disposing of the dead, cremation and inhumation, were in use. In some cases in the same tumulus a cist with the body untouched by fire has been found, aroimd whicli were cinerary urns, of various sizes and styles, containing burned bones and ashes. In others, two cists carefully constructed, and having burned bones in them, have been found surrounded by others, rude and inferior in all respects — perhaps the heads of the family surrounded by their cliildren or servants. In many places solitary cists with urns have been discovered, without any tumulus, the cist for the body having been formed in a pit, or grave, dug in the ground as in modern cemeteries. In others, numbers of such graveyards, with cists and urns in them, have been found close together without any outward object to mark the spot. These may have been scions or cadets of a great family, buried with honours, but not with the signal honour of a tumulus ; such costly marks of distinction being reserved for the heads of the family. Bodies intended to be covered by a mound or cairn, were not interred, the cist being placed on the smface of the ground, and the tumulus superimposed. Chap. II.] STANDING STONES. 15 During some part of tlie Roman occuiiation cremation was again introduced, this mode of disposing of dead bodies having for a considerable period been in use among that people. Their hold of Angus subsisted for so short a period, that, with tlie exception of their camps, scarcely another evidence of their occupancy is now to be found in the county. The cairn is perhaps the most numerous class of ancient sepulchral memorials in Caledonia, and many farms throughout the country derive their names from them, with the prefix or affix " cairn." They are as various in form and in sii^e as are the tumuli. The word cairn is derived from kcern, signifying a heap of stones. Some instances occur of the memorial cairn and the pillar united, as at the village of Fowlis Wester, where a large standing stone surmounts the cairn. Many cairns formerly existing have now disap- peared, the stones having been used for utilitarian purposes. From the class of objects found in some of these cairns, such as urns of the primeval period, flint arrow-heads and bone implements, stone hammers, &c., there is no doubt of their having been erected during the stone period. Others are of much later eras. The tumulus and the cairn have therefore been contemporaneous fiom time immemorial. Neither of them was entirely discontinued until some time after the Christian faith had supplanted the old pagan system of idolatry. Then the dead began to be interred in a common cemetery, and this has since been the general mode of disposing of tlie bodies of the human family in Scot- land, and in otiier Christian countries. II. — Standing Stones. Scotland is thickly studded with ancient memorials, erected by unknown races to commemorate events of which we know nothing. Tliey are of various sorts and many forms, dumb yet eloquent, hoary with age, outliving the story of their erection. Angus abounds with these monuments of unrecorded occurrences. Though we cannot read the tale they were reared to record, .some of them inform us, though silently, that untold ages ago incidents occurred, as thej' do still, worthy of being recorded in durable materials, that posterity might have pride in the good deeds done, or glorious feats of arms performed by their ancestors. They tell us that many kindred desires and longings animated both the aborigines and the present generation — that they were human, as we are, with aspirations nnd longings akin to our own. Single memorial stones stand in many of the parishes in the county, erect, 16 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part II. bare, and bald, witliout a letter, figure, or emblem of any sort to record their hi.story, to tell when, by whom, or for what object tliey were raised where we find theni. Tlieso are tlie most primitiv-eol'our pre-liistoric memorials. 8ome of these monoliths are sepulchral memorials, and human remains have been found underneath them. Others, called Cat Stones, from Cad or Catli (Cellic), siguitying a battle, were raised iu commemoration of an ancient conflict, or other important event ; and some of them are probably Tanist stones, where the new chief was elected and sworn to protect and lead his people. Abimelech was made king by the pillar which was in Shechem (Judges i.K. 6.). The Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, which, was taken by Edward I. from Scone to Westminster, belongs to this class. It is very remarkable that in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, India, the Steppes of Asia, the north of Europe, and in the Mississippi Valley, in Mexico, and in Central America, as well as in Britain, monoliths of stone, celts and hammers, flint and bone arrow and lance heads, and other primitive weapons and imple- ments identical in character, indeed precisely resembling each other, are found in the ancient tumidi of the pre-historic races who possessed these several countries. This wonderful correspondence can only be accoiuited for by some unknown cause which appears to operate naturally at a corresponding period in the development of the human mind. It is not to be supposed that there was such communication amongst people so far apart, and separated by impas- sable oceans, and little less impassable barriers on land, as to enable them to exchange ideas which led them to work out similar results. In Egypt and in many other countries the inhabitants were in possession of metallic tools at a very early period, by which they were enabled to cut out inscriptions upon their monoliths and other stone memorials. In Scotland the aboriginal Caledonians had no tools excepting hammers of stone and chisels of flint, and these are ill adapted for hewing rough stones into shape, or to grave upon them memorials of the fame of the hero to whose memory they were erected, or the annals of the tribe. Chalmers says, (Jal. III., 233, " the Gaelic people did sometimes erect memorial stones, which, as they were always with- out inscription, might as well have not been set up." These stones, grey with the moss of many ages, have no doubt outlived the remembrance of their erection, but their mysterious silence leads our thoughts back to the gloom which shrouded, it may be, our progenitors, and this ought to fill our hearts with gratitude for the light we enjoy, and for the blessings of which we have the prospect when we, like them, have finished our course on earth. Chaps. III. & IV.] CROMLECHS— ROCKING STONES. 17 In Angus there are many monuments, greatly more modern than the imhewn standing stones, which, though inscribed with many figures and symbols, are to us as mysterious as their more ancient feUows, .seeing that they remain unread, no key to open their secrets having yet been discovered. III. — Cromlechs. The Cromlech, or " Druidical Altar," as it has been sometimes called, i.s a sepulchral monument of rarer occurrence than either of these classes of standing- stones. Cromadh (Gaelic), cromen (Welsh), signifying a roof or vault, and dacli or lech, a stone, may be the derivation of the word — or, when applied to a rude circle of standing stones, as it frequently is, croin (Gaelic), a circle, and lech a stone Tiie cromlech usually consists of three or f':iur huge unhewn columns supporting an immense block of stone, forming togetiier a rectangular chamber, in some instances further enclosed by smaller stones placed in the intervening spaces. Within this area a body has generally been placed, with an urn and relics of an early period, the cromlech forming a cist for the chief, and a noble and enduring memorial it is. Some specimens of the cromlech are still found entire in Scotland, one fine example, in perfect preservation, being on the southern declivity of the Sidlaw range, in the parish of Auchter- house, in Angus. IV. — Rocking Stones. Another class of the memorials of the primeval period are Eocking Stones, which are found in various places in Scotland. Though extremely rude, and, like the cromleclis and many of the standing stones, formed of rough unhewn stones, they afford evidences of mechanical skill of no mean order, and excite both wonder and awe in the beholder. One huge stone is so poised upon another that, with a gentle pusli, tlie upper vibrates upon the under stone, thus producing the rocking motion from which the name is given. The rocking stone in Kirkmichael, Perthshire, in form is a rhombus, the greater diagonal seven feet, and the less five feet, and it weighs about three tons. On pressing down either of the extreme corners a motion is produced, the arc through whicli its longest radius moves is fully a foot, and then it makes from twenty-six to twenty-seven vibrations from side to side before it finally rests again. On Medyea Kells, Kirkcudbright, there is a much larger 18 ANGUS OR FOKFAESHIEE. [Part II. rocking stone, weighing from eight to ten tons, so finely poised that it can be set in motion with the pressure of the finger. It is popularly called the Logan Stone {Shorjln). There are others in Scotland still entire. It would probably prove a much more complicated problem for the modern engineer to jioise the irregular amorphous mass on its point of equilibrium, than to rear the largest monolithic group that now stands to attest the mechanical power which the old builders could command. There is little doubt that these rocking stones were " Stones of Ordeal," made use of by the Druids to show the guilt or innocence of offenders, and they may, on many occasions, have been made to give the judgment desired by the priests. Some authorities now consider most of them to be the result of weathering, or mere perched blocks left behind during the melting of the ice in the glacial period. There were several rocking stones in Angus, but it is to be regretted that they have been destroyed in modern days. The stone at Gilfumman, in Glen- esk, was entire in the end of last century, but since then it has disappeared. On the top of the Hillhead, Kirriemuir, there were two fine specimens of these interesting memorials, upon which the dwellers in the district looked with wonder and awe. These time honoured monuments of a long past age were, in 1843, blasted with gunpowder, and the shattered pieces used in building dykes and forming drains, to the deep regret of antiquarians, and of the inhabitants of the district. Had the Uruid priest been alive, and able to try the Goth by the ordeal of the stone, he would most assuredly, and most deservedly, have been convicted and adequately punished. Specimens of rock- ing stones are found in England, in Ireland, Avhere they are called " trembling stones," and in other countries. V. — Stone Circles. Druidical circles, as they are generally popularly called, are common in Scotland, some of which are formed of one circle of upright stones, and others of concentric circles, but none of them now possess the mystic avenue which, it is supposed, originally led to them. These circles are not confined to Caledonia, indeed the most extensive of these primeval collections of monoliths is perhaps that of Carnac, in Brittany, wliich extends over an area of eight miles in length. Avebury or Abury, in "Wilts, in the beginning of the century, consisted of 650 stones, and it was not Chap. V.] STONE CIRCLES. 19 then perfect. It is now nearly dcstroyeJ. It appears when entire to have consisted of one great circle of 100 enormous stones, each about sixteen feet in lieight, and about twenty-seven feet apart. The circle was about 1300 feet in diameter, environed by a ditch eighty feet wide and of great depth, the whole enclosed by a lofty rampart sixty feet broad. Inside the outer circle of stancUng stones were two smaller double or concentric circles, also formed of huge monoliths. In the centre of one of these stood a pillar twenty feet in height, and in that of the otlier an enormous cromlech. Long avenues of huge rough stones extended the distance of a mile to other circles. The stones were amorphous, and many nearly as broad as they were long. Stone- henge, in Salisbury plain, also in ^\'ilts, is a vast monolithic temple, consist- ing of 97 enormous stones ranged in cu-cles, covering an area of nearly one hundred acres. The famous Orcadian temple of Stonnis, is a vast primeval work, and undoubtedly the most remarkable monolithic group in Caledonia. '1 he great circle is about 340 feet in diameter, the stones vary in height from six feet to fourteen feet above the surface, the average being about nine feet, with an average breadth of about five feet, aud a foot in thiclcness. The stones are placed about eighteen feet apart, and they are all rough, unliewn, amorphous blocks, of the old red sandstone formation. In the centre of the circle stood a huge cromlech, now prostrate. When entire the circle appears to have consisted of about sixty columns, but only twenty-three now remain, and of these ten are lying where they stood, and the broken stumps of others are still seen. The temiile is enclosed by a deep trench, excepting the entrance and exit. This, tlie larger circle, is called the King of Brogar. It appears to have been connected with a smaller circle, called Stennis Circle, by an avenue of large stones. 'j'he two ore situated on opposite sides of the Loch of Stennis. There are several other very perfect cu-cles in Scot- land. It has been a commonly received opinion that the symmetrical groups of standing stones in Britain are of Druidical origin, though of this there is no positive proof Some parties have in later years endeavoured to mochty, if not change this opinion, at least in as far as relates to Stennis temple and others in the north of Scotland and the Isles, but to little purpose. These parties are of opinion that they are of Scandinavian origin, but Dr Daniel Wilson shows conclusively that the Norsemen found the stones there on their arrival, and other eminent antiq[uarians concur in this view. The Scandinavians -0 ANGUS OR FORFAESHIRE. [Pakt II. took possession of the temple, and adapted it to their own Pagan worship in tlio ninth century, bnt the circles were venerable with age at that period. Tlic temples ot'Avcl)ury and of Stonehencjc, are works of very different periods, but no light has yet been tlirown upon the date of the erection of either, or of tiie character of their erectors. Avcbury was constructed before the Bronze or Archaic period, as the stones exhibit no appearance of liaving been shnpen with tools ; it therefore belongs to the Tiimeval period. Stennis pro- bably belongs to the same early period. The monoliths of Stonehenge belong to an era wlien metallic tools were known and in constant use, as they have been hewn into some degree of uuitbraiity, and the lintels fitted to the upright columns, the mortice and tennon being still traceable among the ruins of this wonderful monument. Stonehenge was probably built in the begin- ning of the Iron Age. AVhat the appearance of these immense structures may have been when in their perfect state cannot be known, what remains being only the skeleton of the original plan. The mind which could conceive, carry out, and bring to perfection a structure of such immense extent, amazing magnificence, and requiring such an extraordinary amount of labour, must have been of no common onler. The time required to collect the huge stones, transport them to the spot on which they wore to stand, and rear them there, must have been very long, even although the artificers had been extremely numerous. Vast suras, even in an age when labour was cheap, must have been spent in rearing the temj)le. The subject excites wonder and astonishment even in this advanced mechanical and engineering age. Whether these structures were primarily reared as temples for religious service, or for burial places, is a moot question. That they were used as sepulchres there is no doubt, as many human remains have been found within their sacred precincts, and it is very probable that they were also from the tirst used for some form of religious worship. In this there is nothing unusual, as the tombs of the dead to this day surround the temples of the living in our own, and in many other lands, and the association is congenial to human nature. At one period a number of these so-called Druid circles were in Angus, but, for utilitarian purposes, some of them have been destroyed, and others remain in an imperfect state, but none of them had ever been of great extent. CuAP. VI.] SCULPTURED STONES. 21 VI. — Sculptured Stones. The rude uncivilized primeval inhaliitants of Caledonia were well satisfied when they had reared a huge amorphous monolith, a cromlech, or other bold and striking memorial over the sepulchre of a revered chief, content that their enduring liandiwork should tell its story to those of tlieir kindred who succeeded them. This it may have done for generations after its artificers had themselves been consigned to the tomb, but untold ages have made such memorials dumb to )is. As civilization advanced, and the arts improved, and as tools adapted tor the purpose were procured, these standing monuments of a people's respect began to be hewn into a more seemly shape, and to be adorned with symbolic figures. This transition was natural and easy. At first these were rude, but with practice, and an improved taste, the desire sprung up for something more artistic, and v.ith it the power and skill to gratify that desire. Many of the old obelisks and some ot the cross slabs are ornamented with crescents and sceptres, elephants, comb, mirror, V and Z shaped figures, &c. After the introduction of Christianity the symbol of the cross began to be introduced. Some of the cross slabs have marginal embellishments, with heads and bodies and limbs of animals entwined with foliage, forming designs that would do credit even to modern artists, and executed with taste and skill. Warriors on horseback and on foot, with their ■weapons ; and hunters with their dogs and symbols of the chase frequently appear. By the middle of the twelfth century, blazonry, or the distinction of nobility, of knighthood, and of others entitled to bear arms, or coats armorial, came into general use in Britain, and shortly thereafter such insignia began to be sculptured upon standing stones or obelisks, and on other monuments in Scotland. The peculiar symbols found upon many of the earlier sculptured stones in the eastern districts of Scotland are almost confined to the north of the Firth of Forth. Angus is rich in her sculptured stones. Some of these, such as the pillar- stone at Kirkton of Dunnichen, on which are the spectacle orna- ment, crossed by symbols, the Z shaped ornament, or broken sceptre (as it is sometimes called), the comb, mirror, and another nameless oliject. It evidently belongs to the Pagan period. The figures on some of the early Scottish stones bear a close resemblance to those on the initials in the Book of Kells, an Irisli MS. of the sixth century, and other Irish IMS., both in their style and arrangement. Tliis similarity infers considerable intercourse between this district of Scotland and Ireland at the period of the erection of the stones so 22 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Part II. ornamented, or the writer of the MS. ami the artists who carved the stones may have derived their ideas from a common source. The sculptured stones are to be ascribed to the Piclish people of Albion, as they are only found in the districts which were inhabited by the Picts, and may denote family descent, tribal rank, or official dignity. Tlie age of the oldest of these stones is quite un- known. Tliose with the Christian symbol show that they were erected subse- quently to the conversion of the I'icts by St jS'inian and St Columba. Some of the stones with the cross conspicuously placed on tliem have also the older symbols upon them. These are sometimes of diminutive size, and .sometimes large, and they belong to the transition period when Christianity was supplant- ing Paganism. The late Patrick Chalmers of Aldbar, who died on 23d June, 18.^1, was an accomplished and enthusiastic archasologist. He edited a collection of the ancient sculptured monuments of the county of Angu.s, including those of Meigle in Perthshire, and one at Fordoun in the Mearns, with historical letter- press. The work was printed for private circulation, and it was the means of drawing the attention of antiquaries to the study of these most interesting remains of the mediaeval inhabitants of this distrtct of Scotland. Since that magnificeut volume was printed, a more voluminous work in further illustration of the same subject was issued by the Spalding Club. It was got up under the editorial care of the late John Stuart, LL.D., of the General Kegister House, tdinburgh. The fir,st volume was printed at Aber- deen in 1856, and the second at Edinburgh in 18G7. The work is entitled, " The Sculptured Stones of Scotland." It also contains historical letterpress, explanatory of many of the plates in the volumes. The drawings of the stones made for these works were taken with great care, and they are beautifully engraved. No written description can convey a clear idea of the sculptures upon the stones, but the following short account of those in Angus and IMeigle is all we are able to give here. Some further details regauling them will be found in the descriptive and historical account of the several parishes in the county, to be given in a subsequent part of the work. The sculptured stones are of two classes — pillar stones and cro.ss slabs. The crosses on the east coast are generally older, smaller, and less ornate than the lofty crosses on the west coast. The latter were erected by the Scots who came over from Ireland. They difter in many respects from those erected by the Picts, and they entirely want the symbols so common upon the Pictish stones on the east coast. Chap. VI.] SCULPTURED STONES. 23 Aberlemno. The stone standing at the west end of the church has the cross on the obverse, and the armed men on foot and on horseback, and fabulous animals curiously entwined, on the reverse. The larger of the three stones in the field near the church stands close by the side of the public road, and is inserted in a pedestal of stone, firmed of a large rude block. It was described by Boece, and also in 15GD. Mr Chalmers says, this fine cross is said, by tra- dition, to commemorate the fall of a body of Danes on their retreat from the battle of Barr}^ The figure on the cross is less elaborately formed than the one on the stone in the churchyard, and the horsemen aud other figures on the reverse appear to be engaged in the chase rather than in war. In a com- partment underneath the hunters is a centaur bearing a branch of a tree. Over them are the crescent, sceptre, and other symbols. The figures on these stones are in relief The adjoining stone is sculptured only on one side with symbols of the spectacle ornament, comb, and mirror, and others, all incised. If the other stone, which stands near the latter two, ever had any sculptures, they are now obliterated. An examination of tlie ground under the stone, by the side of the highway, and of the unsculptured pillar, was made at the sight of Mr Jervise, shortly before the first volume on the sculptured stones was published, but nothing of importance was found. Both appeared to have been previously searched. On clearing away the foundations of the old Castle of Woodray, in this parish, in 181 9, another sculptured stone was discovered, and sent by Lord Minto's factor to Sir Walter Scott, and it is now at Abbotsford. It has a cross and various animals on the obverse, and two men on horseback, animals, and the spectacle ornament, on the reverse. Another stone, with simdar sculptures, was found at same time, but much mutilated. It lay about for a time and then disappeared. A rudely incised stone, forming the cover of a cist, was found at Balglassie in this parish, but it was destroyed. Within tlie burying ground of the old church at Aldbar, in this parish, formerly stood a cross slab, but it has been since removed to the house of Aldbar, because it had been injured in its former site. A cross and two human figures are on the obverse side ; on the reverse two figures, similarly attired to those beside the cross, appear as resting on a three barred hinged gate, underneath which are other men and animals. 2-1 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Paht II. Benvie. In the old cluircln'arJ is a sandstone sculptured stone, having a cross on the obverse .side and two equestrian figures on the reverse. Tlio curious round shields on this stone are interesting. It is only about three feet in height. This parish is now joined to Liff, and the old church is not in use. Brecuin. Here there is a fragment of finely sculptured cross found in a garden formerly part of the ancient churchyard, near the cathedral. The legend S.MARIA. JI'E.X'EI. cut upon it is supposed to be an addition of compara- tively late date. The sculptiu-es around the door in the Bound Tower of Brecliin are of a kindred nature, and bear considerable resemblance to those on .some of the sculptured stones in the angles. The three round towers in Scotland, Aber- nethy, Brechin, and EgiLshay, Orkney, are doubtless the result of Irish influence, which was prevalent about the time they were erected. From tlie Chronicle of the Picts, written at Brechin, it appears that Kenneth king of Alban (970-994), erected the ]\Ionastery and Tower there, and this is strengthened by an expression in Adamnan's life of St Columbus. Dr Petrie believes it was built about the year 1020 by Irish ecclesiastics. Craig. A cross was found in 1849 in the burial ground of the ancient parish of Inchbrayock, a small island between the Basin of Montrose and the ocean, round which the South Esk passes in two streams. It is oppo- site Montrose, and now forms ])art of the pari.sh of Craig. The cross was used as a common headstone, but it has since been removed to the parish church of Craig. Its history is unknown. TJie cross is finely ornamented with scroll work and diagonal lines, two curiously formed human figures, one of tliem witli tlie head of an animal, underneath one arm of the cross, nonde- script animals on the other; on the reverse is an equestrian, armed with a long spear, surrounded by various animals, with three human figures underneath. While digging a grave in the same cemetery in 1857, the fragment of another stone was found. An equestrian with a shield, and an animal with a portion of another on one side, and an interlaced cross, above the arms of which aie two bird-headed human figures. It has also been placed in the church of Craig. Chap. VI.] SCULPTURED STONES. 25 Dundee. In excavating the foundations of the New East Church here, to replace the ancient church of St Mary, burned on 3d January, 1841, some sculptured stones and slabs were found, some of the figures and emblems on which are curious. The stones are standing within the enclosure surrounding the town's churches, north side of Xethergate. On one is the stem of a ship, from which a vessel is suspended by two ropes, out of wliich a small animal is climbing up one of the ropes, and beside the other rope is a hand with part of the fingers folded and part raised ; over this is another vessel, from which another hand, springing out of scroll work, is dra^ving an article. The breadth of this stone is greater at the top than at the bottom, and the sculpture and figures are unique. These stones are well worthy of a careful inspection, as they are in- teresting memorials of Dundee prior to the historic period, and they exhibit considerable taste in the design and skill in the execution of the work. DUNNICHEN. Dunnichen, written Dun-Nechtan in a charter of William the Lion, and in other early charters. In 1811, a stone was dug up on the Dunnichen estate. In early times it had been on the margin, if not within, Nechtan's Mere, where Egfrid was defeated in 685, and near to which Feredith, King of the Scots, and his army were defeated by Alpin, King of the Picts. According to Dr Hibbert, the stone is said to have been brought from a place near to Eesteneth. The sculptures upon it are desciibed on page 21. Eassii% A stone which lay long in the bed of the small stream which flows through the Glen of Dunoon and passes the old church of Eassie, and adjoining the turnpike road leading through Strathmore, was removed to the chui'chyard there a quarter of a century ago. On it is a cross ornamented with interlaced winding strands, the patterns varying on different parts of the cross, with a winged human figure above each arm of it, a tall thin man with a spear and square shield below the cross on one side, and three deer on the other. On the reverse are oxen below, over which are four human figures, evidently ecclesi- astics, with various symbols above them. Farnell. In 1849 a sculptured stone, broken in two pieces, was found in the church- yard here, by Mr Jervise. There is a fine interlaced cross on the obverse, but D 26 ANGUS OR FOEFAESHIRE. [Part II. unlike tlie Eassie stone, the same pattern on this cross is continued through- out tiie body and arms. On tlie reverse Adam ami Kve at tlie i'url)iddeii tree and two serpents are pourtrayed. The cross on one side is Greek and on the other Latin. There is no tradition connected with the cross, and Mr Jervise suggests that it may have been erected over the grave of some ecclesiastic, as it is a late type of this class of stones. The Earl of Southesk presented the stone to the Montrose Museum, where it now is. Glamis. In this parish there are three crosses. One of these stands in the lower portion of the Hunter Hill, hetvveen the village of Thornton and the Kirkton of Glamis. According to local tradition it is supposed to mark the spot where King Malcolm II. fell, mortally wounded in a skirmish. The inter- laced work on the cross is partially efifiiced, on the arms of which a human figure stands on one side, and two on the other, hut part of the top of the stone on this side is broken off. Below the arms are two quadrupeds on each side, with a circular mirror and other symbols underneath them on the one side. If there had been any figures to correspond on the other side they have been destroyed. On the other side of the stone a lively serpent is pourtrayed, with some other markings near the top of the stone, not now distinguishable. Another of these crosses stands in front of, and only a few feet distant from the manse of Glamis, and it is popularly associated with the same tradition regarding the death of JIalcolm II., and supposed to be his gravestone. The cross is freely ornamented with various patterns of inter- laced work. On one of the arms is a ravenous quadruped, aud on the other a centaur with the legs and body of a horse, and the upper part of the body, arms, and head of a man, with a battle axe raised aloft in each hand. Below the arms are two human figures, with limbs in air, and heads and bodies in a caldron, underneath which are two men with axes in their hands. On the other side are the head and neck ot an animal, suspended from which is a circular dish. On the reverse side is a serpent, with a fish below, and a circular dish under it. St Orland or St Erland's stone stands in a field at Cossins, about a mile north-east from the Castle of Glamis. It is enclosed with a railing as a protection from injury. The stone has been broken in two, but the pieces have been again attached. The cross on the obverse is beautifully formed, and finely ornamented with objects of various sorts on each side of it. On the reverse are two quadrupeds, over which is a boat, with six human Chap. VI.] SCULPTURED STONES. 27 figures on board, above which are two horsemen, with other two over them, and the symbols of the spectacles and zigzag Kgure, over which is a crescent with sceptre through it, and two animals' heads, with open mouths, nearly- meeting in the centre of the stone, and crowning it. The stone has no pedestal, and it is sunk nearly two feet into the ground. An examination by digging was made about this monument some twenty-five years ago, and several rough stone cists about three feet long were found. Human bones in a decayed state, with their heads toward the west, were found in them, but nothing else of importance, or calculated to throw light on the history of the occupants, or of the monument commemorative of the event which led to their interment here. Invergowrie. In a window in the ruins of the old church here is a sculptured stone, both sides of which are exposed. The cross is adorned with interlaced tracery of different patterns, with other ornaments. On the reverse are the figures of three men curiously attired, two of which have shoulder brooches, and are evidently ecclesiastics, with scroll work underneath. The original church is supposed to have been built here by St Boniface, who died about 630, and some legends in connection with the Saint's work in this district are popularly believed. A fragment of another stone is built into the wall of this church. A portion of a cross is shown, exhibiting the top of the cross and arms, with the circle around same. On the opposite side is a portion of a horse and a figure npon it, above which are the lower parts of the bodies of two or three human beings. Keillor. On the north slope of the Hill of Keillor, in the parish of Xewtyle, there is a rough stone composed of gneiss, somewhat convex in front but rugged behind. It is placed on a tumulus formed of earth and stones, and several cists contain- ing bones were found in it ; while, in the adjoining field, ancient sepulchral remains have also been found. The stone was broken across about a foot from the ground, but the parts have been again united and the stone replaced on its original site. On the stone there is the figure of an animal, below which are the spectacle and other symbols, all incised. 28 ANGUS OR FORFARSHIRE. [Paut II. Kettins. A cross slab was found about fifteen years ago as the cover of a bri(I