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MHG9222 - Cup marked stone - Carr

Summary

A cup marked stone at Carr.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

NG82SE 1 8978 2451.

There is a boulder covered with cup-marks at Carr (NG 89 24)
T Wallace 1897.

At NG 8978 2451, close by the now deserted buildings of Carr, is a boulder, c. 1.8m long, c.0.8 m wide and c. 0.5m thick, lying on the slope. On its uppermost surface are 15 cup marks, the best defined being 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. The majority are slight c. 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Visited by OS (R L) 23 September 1966.

This panel was recorded as part of the ScRAP (Scotland’s Rock Art project) by members of NoSAS in April 2019. This stone is to be found on the hillside about 100m north of the ruined Carr farm and associated abandoned settlement near to the Carr Brae viewpoint above Loch Duick. It enjoys a southeast aspect with a view to the southeast & south up to and across the head of Loch Duick at Shiel Bridge and the prominent hill of Sgurr Mhic Bharraich above Ratagan. The stone is in an area of rough grazing, which appears to be used for horses, although none were present at the time of the visit. It was originally recorded in 1897 as a boulder with 15 cup marks on its uppermost surface but it nowadays it appears to have the guise of a standing stone, albeit it leaning about 30 degrees from the vertical. The dimensions also tally with the original at 1.6m on the long axis (plus whatever is underground), essentially now the height and a width/depth of 0.8m/0.6m.

A boulder of metamorphic rock - assumed to be orthogneiss, a metamorphosed igneous rock which is the local type. Previous records just state that this is a boulder with 15 cup marks on its uppermost surface. However the stone now is clearly a standing stone, leaning about 30 degrees from vertical, with a series of cupmarks clustering over the lower two thirds of its S face which are clustered towards the westernmost edge of the face. If the 1895 description is correct then the stone has since been upended to stand (maybe) vertically and has since slumped somewhat towards the hillside and its current form. There is a slight hollow of almost bare earth slightly above the boulder a couple of metres away, which is a roughly similar size, suggesting that this perhaps was its original location until fairly recently. Possibly it was placed in this manner to serve as a scratching post for livestock. Up to 17 cups were counted but one of these was almost certainly natural and 4 others were indistinct and must be considered as only possibles. The two largest cupmarks are about 8 x 8 x 2.5cm and 9 x 8 x 3cm. The others range from 4-6cm in diameter and <1-2cm in depth. <1>

Note: Site not visible on aerial photographs so location based on grid coordinates. (T. Blackie 22/03/24)

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 8978 2451 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG82SE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	KINTAIL

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