MHG10887 - Carved stone ball, Golspie Towers Farm
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A carved stone ball was found in 1933 during ploughing operations on farm of Golspie Towers. The ball is of grey porphyrite and has six prominent protuberances in high relief almost identical in size at 1.7ins in diameter and hemispherical in shape. The overall size equals two knob-diameters of 3.2ins.
J M Davidson 1940. <1>
A carved stone ball answering description given by Davidson is in Dunrobin Museum (Acc No: X37). Its provenance is not stated.
Visited by OS (N K B) 15 June 1976.
X37 in Dunrobin Museum, is a ball of brown sandstone with six high rounded knobs, much damaged, and c.2.8ins in diameter.
Information contained in TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum by A S Henshall.
A photograph of the carved stone ball in Dunrobin Museum was submitted to the HER by a participant in a Community Timeline course, run by ARCH. There is a discrepancy between the description, dimensions and illustration given of the stone ball in <1> and the stone ball which is on display in Dunrobin Museum. This must make the identification of the stone ball (unprovenanced) in the museum as being the one reported by Davidson, tentative. <2><3>
X37 in Dunrobin Museum has been identified by Hugo Anderson-Whymark as the carved stone ball from Kilphdir (likely MHG9894). The carved stone ball from Golspie Towers has not been located at Dunrobin Castle Museum. <4>
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SHG1202 Text/Publication/Article: Davidson, J M. 1940. 'Notes on some antiquities from Sutherland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 74 (1939-40), pp 13-23. pp 20-1; figure 2.
- <2> SHG24857 Collection/Catalogue/Gazetteer: ARCH and Invidual Participants. 08/2010. Additional information on a number of sites, contributed by participants in ARCH Community Timeline Courses in Evanton and Golspie. Yes. Digital. CT-G 29.
- <3> SHG24858 Image/Photograph(s): Private individuals. 2010. Photographs submitted by participants in ARCH Community Timeline course in Evanton and Golspie. Colour digital. Yes. Digital. Shirley Sutherland/ Penny Paterson.
- <4> SHG28086 Verbal Communication: Kruse, S. 2019-20. Note from Susan Kruse, Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). Yes.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8360 0084 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC80SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | GOLSPIE |
Finds (1)
- BALL (RITUAL) (Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 1501 BC?)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_074/74_013_023.pdf (See article in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, available online)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6561 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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