MHG45492 - Cup mark stone - Achaness House

Summary

A cup mark stone at Achaness House.

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Full Description

Cup-marked stone incorporated into the broch mound at Achaness House (see MHG11880) reported by Alastair Macrae of Rosehall, Sutherland on 1 December 2003. He reports that the stone is on the south side of the top of the broch mound, about 3-4 feet wide and the same high. The cup markings have been revealed by poaching from cattle and sheep and there are about 5 or 6 of them, perfectly hemispherical and 2-3" diameter. They are at the base of the flat side of the stone, facing north.
John Wood 1-12-2003

Photos of cupmarks in SMR provided by Mrs L Byron. She reports that the area to SE of the main broch structure is raised above the plain and has stone work on it - are these outworks etc ? NB both the brochs are marked as "Pictish Tower (ruins)" on 1st ed OS - HAW 12/2003

Douglas Scott has surveyed this site and suggests that"this possible broch is actually the remains of a large kerbcairn" (burial cairn). "From the centre of the "cairn" the cupmarked stone is in line with where the southern major standstill moon will set every 19 years. The cupmarks would have faced into the cairn and this is similar to the fallen cupmarked kerbstone at the Tordarroch Clava-type ring cairn at Farr to the south of Inverness. The Tordarroch kerbstone is also in line with the setting southern mon. A smilar orientation of a cupmarked kerbstone to the rising southern major standstill moon can be seen at the kerbcairn of Mulchaich, MHG41549, on the Black Isle". A photograph of the cup marked stone was uploaded, with these comments, to the Highland HER Facebook page in June 2011.

Douglas Scott also notes that there are up to 34 cupmarks showing on the north inner side of the boulder and more can be seen at ground level.<1>

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in October 2019. The panel is situated in a low-lying field of improved pasture on the east side of the River Cassely. It is located on what is a possibly natural knoll with the remains of a possible broch on top of the knoll. There is little remaining of the broch other than random scatters of stones and boulders. The largest and most upstanding of these boulders has cup marks on the lower north facing side. Although it is likely that the boulder is not in its original position it does not appear to have been moved for a very long time. The Canmore and HER descriptions call the site a broch however there is a suggestion the boulder may be part of a large kerb cairn. The present condition of the site does not make it possible to confirm either description. The area occupied by the site has a number of oak trees growing on it and is presently used by animals (sheep and horses) for shelter. There is a second broch to the north.

The panel measures 1.7m southeast-northwest by 1.3m wide and up to 1.4m high. It is roughly triangular in shape with a number of fissures and some areas which are quite smooth. The carved surface is on the north face, at the bottom of the boulder below a fissure. There appear to be at least 35 cups with the majority arranged in 5 rows. 4 of the cups are larger, and there are possibly another 6 more cups. The area immediately around the boulder was covered with dung and soft soil; although this was cleared it seems that the panel do not extend further below the present ground surface.

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