There is another
remarkable piece of antiquity – the ancient building that went by the
name of Arthur’s O’on. Henry Sinclair, Dean of Glasgow about 1560,
calls it "Arthur’s Huif"; and Gordon speaks of it as
"Julius Hoff." Its site was a few yards to the north-east of
the Forge Row, Carron, at the corner of an enclosure about 50 feet
square, on the estate of Stenhouse. The destruction of this rare though
rude relic of architecture by Sir Michael Bruce, in 1743, for the
purpose of repairing a dam-head with the best of its stones, roused the
wrath of all antiquarians. Maitland has inserted in his History of
Scotland a poem on the demolition of what Dr. Stukely considered a Roman
edifice, dedicated to Romulus; and, in a fit of resentment, the latter
drew a caricature of Sir Michael carrying off a lapful of stones, with
the devil goading him along, which was engraved by the Antiquarian
Society of London.
In 1862, we were shown a very tasteful
sketch of the O’on as it appeared immediately before its demolition,
and the form it took was that of a beehive. Gordon has given a very good
illustration of it in his Itinerarium. It was a perfect dome, with a
circular orifice at its apex, built in double courses of finely-hewn
stones, laid on each other without mortar. Or, as Dr. Stukely says, its
shape is not unlike the famous Pantheon at Rome, before the noble
portico was added to it by Marcus Agrippa. Still, the building was
small, to have been so famous. The perpendicular height, from the bottom
to the top of the aperture, was 22 feet; the external circumference at
the base, 88 feet; internal circumference, 61 1/4; external diameter at
the base, 28 feet; internal diameter, 19 feet 6 inches; circumference of
the aperture, 36 feet 1 inch; diameter of the aperture, 11 feet 6
inches; height of the door from its basis to the top of the arch, 9
feet; breadth of the door at the base, 6 feet 4 inches; height, from the
ground to the top of the key-stone of the door, 10 feet 6 inches;
breadth of the wall at the base, measuring at the door, 4 feet 3 inches;
thickness of the wall where the arch springs, 3 feet 7 inches; and
height of the basement on which the building stands, 4 feet 6 inches.
As to the builders of this structure,
Nemus, an old monkish writer, argues for the Emperor Carausius; Hector
Boece for Vespasian; Sir Robert Sibbald for Septimus Severus; and Dr.
Stukely for Julius Agricola. If the initial letters J.A.M.P.M.P.T. were
really engraved on a stone in this little temple, it may be considered
not unlikely that they should bear this reading: - Julius Agricola
Magnae Pietatis Monumentum Posuit Templum.
Antiquarians are also greatly at variance
with respect to the purpose which the building was intended to serve.
Stuart, in his Caledonia Romana, is of opinion, that the word O’on may
be no other than the Pictish term for a house, or dwelling, as we find
that the words Pict-Oon denoted the Picts’ dwelling-place, or
settlement. The prefix "Arthur," he further holds, may be a
corruption of some Attic word. Sir William Bentham, the learned author
of the "Gaul and Cimbrii," suggests that the name "Arthur’s
O’on" is probably derived from the old Gaelic words Art, a house,
and Om, solitary – meaning a retired dwelling. Gordon takes the
derivation from Ard nan Suainhe – i.e., the high place, or temple of
the standards; as Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, is Ard nan Saidhe, the
hill of the arrow; and Arthur’s Seir, between Ross and Moray, is Ard
nan Seir, the height from which to launch ships. Dr. Stukely’s theory,
as to Julius Agricola having been the founder of the building, is
perhaps the most reasonable of all; and if this is accepted, we cannot
but regard the humble fabric as a sacellum, or little chapel, in which
the vexilla, or ensigns of the legion, were kept. That it was never
designed for public worship is plain from its dimensions. Gordon adds
that it may have been also used as a mausoleum, or depository, for
holding within its hollow basement the ashes of some illustrious Roman.
But a truce to banter. We now know as much as ever shall be known of
this interesting relic – interesting only on the page of history.
Nothing is left us of the O’on but the memory of its existence, and
the green sloping bank on which it stood. Demolished, too, for the
repair of a petty dam-head. "The pity of it, Iago; the pity of
it."
Three miles westward upon the north bank
of the Carron, stand two beautiful mounds called the hills of Dunipace,
which are taken notice of by most of our historians, as monuments of
great antiquity. Their whole structure is of earth; but they are not
both of the same form and dimensions. The more easterly one is perfectly
round, resembling an oven, and about fifty feet in height. The other, at
the foundation, is nearly of a triangular shape, but the superstructure
is irregular; nor does the height of it bear any proportion to the
extent of the base. Buchanan calls the western mound the smaller. His
memory here, however, had quite failed him, for there are at least four
times the quantity of earth in it than is in the other. These
"hills" are unmistakably not artificial. But in times long
past, they may have been put to some military use, as from their form
and isolated position they are eminently fitted for fortification. Here
and there for miles along the banks of the Carron are many steep gravel
knolls, cut out by the action of its waters; and these Dunipace mounds
have in all probability been similarly isolated, as here the short but
impetuous river, whose upper course is a rapid descent, sweepingly
strikes a plain.
The common account given of these, not
three-clad mounds, is, that they were erected as monuments of a peace
concluded in that place, between the Romans and the Caledonians, and
that their name partakes of the language of both people; Dun signifying
"Hill" in the ancient language of the country, and Pax
"Peace" in the language of Rome. The compound word Dunipace,
according to this etymology, signifies "Hills of Peace." We
find, in history, notice taken of three treaties of peace that were, at
different periods, concluded between the Romans and Caledonians; the
first by Severus, about the year 210; the second soon after, by his son
Caracall; and the third by the usurper Carausius, about the year 286.
Others, again, favour the etymology Duinna-Bais – which signifies
hills, or tumuli, of death – believing the earthen structures
sepulchral monuments over the ashes of warriors slain in battle. Tuiams,
similar to those in question, are somewhat numerous throughout the
neighbourhood of Stonehenge, in Salisbury Plain; and from the fact of
human bones having been discovered in several of such mounds, they are
popularly regarded as the graves of ancient Britons.
Dunipace is taken notice of in history,
as a place where important national causes have been decided, and that
more than once, by great monarchs in person. We find Edward I. of
England, at Dunipace upon the 14th of October, 1301, where he
signed a warrant to his plenipotentiaries, who were at that time in
France, authorising them to consent to a truce with the Scots, as a
necessary preliminary towards a peace with their ally, the French King,
between whom and Edward an obstinate war had long raged. At the chapel
of this place too, Robert Bruce and William Wallace are said to have had
a second conference the morning after the battle of Falkirk, which
effectually opened the eyes of the former to a just view of his own true
interest, and that of his country.
Then in the background lies the Dunipace
mansion, which formerly belonged to the Primroses, but who forfeited the
estate in 1746. The story, or drama rather, is brief. Government hearing
that Primrose, on the occasion of the second battle of Falkirk, had led
the Highlanders to the ford across the Carron, seized his property, and
afterwards had him beheaded. Immediately on the back of this unhappy
event, the bereaved family located themselves in Edinburgh. After the
lapse of a few years, however, they thought of steps for the
repossession of the property, and with that view engaged a Mr.
Spottiswood, as agent, to purchase it from Government in their behalf.
The honest lawyer took the business sharply in hand; but finding the
bargain struck a thorough catch, he put down the transaction to his own
account, and speedily settled himself as proprietor. The felling of the
oak on the estate, we have been assured, was more than sufficient to
meet the purchase-bill. Lady Primrose was also an enthusiastic Jacobite.
It was she who protected the Miss Macdonald, celebrated for her concern
in the escape of Prince Charles Stuart after the battle of Culloden; and
so popular became this heroic gentlewoman that eighteen carriages, all
belonging to visitors of distinction, have been seen ranked up before
her door.
At Torwood lies the Tappock, now so well
known in antiquarian circles from the stronghold which was discovered
there in 1864. The hill has a gentle sweep towards the valley of the
Carron on the south side, and that of the Forth on the north and east;
but to the west it presents a bold precipitous front, on which the
building stands. The following are its dimensions: - The area of the
inner circle is 33 feet in diameter at the lower part of the wall, and
35 feet in the upper portion. After rising to the height of 8 feet, the
regular masonry of the wall retires 1 foot all round the building, and
then continues perpendicularly 5 or 6 feet more. The circular bend in
the remaining steps of the stair in the wall indicates an upper storey
to which it led. The stair is 2 feet 6 inches wide, and the length of
the passage leading to it is 11 feet. The wall is 21 feet thick, and the
lintels of the door are formed by stones of sufficient size and strength
for its support. The inner half of the entrance, which is roofed with
large stones reaching from side to side, is oval shaped, the outer half
quite straight, and the whole of it is 23 feet. Around the outer side of
the walls, upright stones, 4 feet high and 2 feet broad, are inserted at
regular intervals to strengthen and bind the masonry. At the distance of
30 feet from the innermost wall, occurs another wall, now only
semicircular, the two ends of which terminate on the brink of the
precipice; part of it is still 10 feet high and 15 feet broad. Again at
the distance of 30 feet outward, another semi-circular wall is at one
part about 4 feet high and 10 feet broad. The wall of the central tower,
or broch, is a solid mass of stone, and there still remain about 13 feet
of its height. The entrance to this stronghold led apparently in a
straight line through the three walls in a north-easterly direction.
Within the underground chamber two interesting stones were found,
covered with eccentric rings. But there were also got querns, cups,
whorls, portions of pottery, and charcoal; an iron hammer, with
orange-shaped head; and a hatchet, in form somewhat similar to that in
present use.
On the south, and close to the base of
the Tappock Hill, there still remains about a mile of the Roman road,
leading to the north of Scotland, with its walls and ditches distinctly
marked. About two miles westward is a rocky knoll about 100 feet high,
on which there are megalithic remains. Here, too, undoubtedly once stood
a circular fort, and one of larger dimensions than those of Tappock. The
hill, however, on which it stood being of easy ascent, its stones have
been more thoroughly removed, and now only very faint and uncertain
traces of its walls remain. On the north side of the knoll there is a
piece of masonry still very entire. It is a circular chamber descending
from near the top of the knoll 12 feet down. It is 10 feet wide at the
top, and 6 feet wide at the bottom. A well-built covered way, 2 1/2 feet
wide, leads out from the bottom of this curious structure, 30 feet of
which remains, and 8 feet of its length has the original roof. This
"way" has probably led from the fort to the water supply which
is near its outer end.
With regard to the date of these circular
buildings, that is an involved mystery. They lie beyond the province of
our earliest British history. They are older than Druidism; older than
sun or serpent worship; old as the necessities of primeval man. And it
is absurd to connect those upright stones in circle either with the
sepulchres or temples of our ancestors. At least, the connection does
not necessarily follow from the mere circular form of building. The
stability of all walls constructed without cement or mortar demanded
that.
Near the parish church of Logie, two
miles north from the town of Stirling, are several large stones standing
erect, as also some near the church of Alva, which appear to have been
fixed there in very ancient times, and were no doubt intended to
perpetuate the memory of an important transaction which had happened in
those parts. It is well known to have been a custom of the old Scots, to
erect large stones in fields of battle, either as memorials of
victories, or to preserve the knowledge of the spot in which any of
their eminent warriors had fallen. This is often mentioned in the works
of Ossian. That bard himself, and Toscar, one of his brothers, were sent
by Fingal their father, to raise a stone upon the banks of the stream of
Crona, in order to perpetuate the memory of a victory which he had some
time before obtained there. Such monuments are still to be seen in
almost every shire. Two stones stand to this day in the field near
Stirling, where Randolph, Earl of Murray, and Lord Clifford, the English
general, had a sharp rencounter, the evening before the great battle of
Bannockburn; and, so late as the battle of Killiecrankie, the
Highlanders reared up a large stone on the spot where Claverhouse, their
commander, fell. Of what special event the stones at Logie and Alva are
monuments, cannot now be determined. On Craigmaddie Moor, in the parish
of Baldernock, anciently Cartenbenach, another remarkable antiquity is
found. It consists of three long stones of grayish grit, taken from the
neighbourhood, and laid from north to south, two of them close to each
other below, and one, in the middle, above. The higher is found to be 18
feet long, 11 broad, and 7 thick. Those underneath are somewhat smaller,
but cannot easily be measured, as they are considerably sunk in the
soil. They are in a plain about 250 yards diameter, surrounded with
rising grounds, which form an amphitheatre, and are called "The
Auld Wives’ Lifts." The tradition connected with this ludicrous
name is, that three old women having wagered which should carry the
greatest weight, brought hither in their aprons the three stones of
which the Lifts are constructed, and laid them as they now are. The
place appears to have been Druidical, and the ancient Celtic name
Gart-na-Beannachd, signifying "Field of Blessing," might have
originated from this circumstance. The plain exhibits the roots and
stocks of such oaks as might have formed the sacred grove. The aged
females, according to Tacitus and Pomponius Mela, lived in sisterhoods,
devoting their time to the offices of religion; and the tradition would
seem to refer to their supposed preternatural power. Camden mentions a
Druidical stone in Ireland called "The Lifted Stone"; and some
in France are known as "les Pierres Levees." Not far from this
spot were two cairns of an elliptical shape, which, however, have been
carried away. The largest was 60 yards in length, and 10 yards in
breadth. Through the whole length of it were two rows of broad stones
set on edge on the ground, and 4 feet asunder. Between the rows the dead
were interred, having flagstones laid over them. The heap raised above
them was mostly of large stones quarried from the adjoining rock. The
other cairn had been more recently laid open and found to be of a
similar construction; which, in the intelligent Statist’s opinion, is
Danish. Some of the stones in the foundation were of considerable size.
Among the contents, on opening, were found fragments of human bones, and
urns. One of the fragments of the urns is ornamented near the mouth with
two hollow grooves; and the diameter of the circle of it is a segment of
at least 20 inches. Tradition speaks of a battle with the Danes in the
neighbouring moor of Craigmaddy. It is also worthy of note that in 1878
an interesting discovery of ancient British remains was made in this
same parish. While excavating for sand, Mr. Mitchell, farmer, Hillend,
came upon three jars, or urns, surrounded with charred wood. Two were
full of human bones, and the third contained a burned substance. The
urns were found 3 feet below the surface, and were placed about a yard
apart, bottom up. They are fully 12 inches in diameter, at the widest
part, and taper to the top and bottom. They are composed of hard-burned
clay of a very coarse consistency, about three quarters of an inch in
thickness, the outer surface being almost black, and the inner of a
brownish or yellowish colour.
Another ancient stronghold, called the
Peel of Carfarran, "Castle of Vexation," and evidently a Roman
castellum, presents itself in the utmost possible state of preservation,
on the north bank of a small rivulet on the north-east side of the
parish of Drymen, called the Burn of the Ward. This military work is
nearly square; and measures, within the trenches, towards 50 paces
either way. It has two ramparts, and one ditch; which, with the
ramparts, measures 20 paces across. The circumference of the work is 320
paces. It is about a mile from the hill of Gartmore, which is conceived
to be a corruption of the Celtic Caer-Mor. There is also on the farm of
Finnich-Tenant in the same parish, a sepulchral cairn, about 20 paces
long and 10 broad. A row of Kist-vaens, or Stone Coffins, seems to form
the body of the tumulus, and is covered with a heap of large stones,
obviously rounded by attrition, and, therefore, brought from some river.
The nearest is the Burn of Carnock, distant more than half-a-mile. Some
remains of this sort occur in the north-east corner of the parish, a
short way from Aberfoyle.
We may now pass to another remarkable
antiquity, which, like the last mentioned, has, hitherto, so far as is
known, been unnoticed in print – "the Peel of Buchanan,"
about 200 paces in front of the mansion of His Grace the Duke of
Montrose. The Enric had had its course in this direction, though now
flowing considerably to the southward. The ditch around this ancient
fort was filled by the river, and crossed by a passage, probably a
draw-bridge, from the north. By whom it was occupied, we cannot venture
to say.
Another antiquity of this class is
"the Peel of Gargunnock," the etymology of which, perhaps from
its shape, seems to be Caer-Guineach, "Sharp, or Conical,
Fortress." Its site is 50 or 60 yards east of the rivulet which
bears its name, and within 50 yards of the Forth, where the latter takes
an acute bend towards the north. The ground is now under crop; but old
men in the neighbourhood remember a considerable number of large stones
forming part of a building there, and carried off, from time to time, by
the farmers for building. A ditch, south of the Peel, and joining the
Burn of Gargunnock, seems to have contributed to the security of a
fortress, the use of which is conceived to have been the defence of a
ford in the Forth. The "knock," or hill, on which stands the
Keir, is a conically-shaped rock of the reddest sandstone, soft and
damp; but the ancient builders were too wise to use any of it for their
masonry, so they have brought all the stone for their walls down from a
stratum of basaltic rock which lies about a mile up the steep mountain
side to the south. Although the material of the fort is now almost
wholly gone, those walls must have been great, for the bed of a mountain
stream which flows on the south side is filled with the large grey
boulders of basalt, of which they had been formed. |