Rock Art Database

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Section A. CORE INFORMATION

A1. Identifiers

Classifications And Periods

County

INVERNESS-SHIRE

A2. Grid Reference(original find site)

A3. Current Location & Provenance

Section B. CONTEXT

B1. Landscape Context

B2. Current land use & vegetation

• Improved Pasture

Other:Former parkland

B3. Forestry

• No selection

B4. Archaeological Features within 200m / or visible from the panel

• Standing Stone

B5. Location Notes

This stone stands in rough grazing about 75m SSW of Guisachan House, itself about 2 miles SW of the small village of Tomich in Invernesshire. It can be reached by taking a car down a small road that peels off to the right from the single track road leading to Plodda Falls. There is just room to park before the gate across the road at the beginning of the parkland. The house itself is an unstable ruin, surrounded by sectional fencing, and on the verge of collapse. The track continues through the gate, round the side of the house and beyond. The stone can be easily seen from the track within deep vegetation and under the trees. Pastmap shows photographs of the stone taken on a visit by Highland Council in 2004 and at that time it lay in good parkland. In 2020 the parkland is now much degraded and reverting back into a more natural state, even though it is being grazed by cattle. The stone lies at the edge of a small stand of trees but closely surrounded up to its NE face and sides by a large expanse of nettles which are highly midge infested in summer. To the SW side there is bog cotton grass, indicating that it is reverting to marsh, and other parts are thick with dock leaves. However, the stone itself sits undisturbed and is easily found.

Previous Notes

NH22NE 6 286 253 For Guisachan House (NH 2873 2525) and associated buildings, see NH22NE 7.00. (Location cited as NH 286 253). Guisachan, standing stone. In the parkland some 75m SW [NW] of the ruins of Guisachan House (NH22NE 7.00) is what appears to be a standing stone. The boulder is 1.7m wide at the base, 0.8m thick and 1.3m high, with a rounded 'pointed' top. There are 4 cup marks towards the base of the stone, in the centre of its NE face. J Duncan and G Harden 1987.

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

C3. Rock Surface

C4. Surface Features

• Natural Hollows
• Rough surface

C5. Panel Notes

This is squat, rather bulbous standing stone measuring 2.1m high, and 1.2m width and thickness. It is an upended boulder that is assumed to be of the local bedrock - a metamorphosed sandstone (psammite) with a grey-coloured, sandstone-like appearance. Its basal dimensions are slightly larger than those given in earlier records but the stone is otherwise as described. It may have been selected as standing stone because it was cup marked at its highest point when lying in its natural recumbent state. The cupmarks would have then been facing upwards at the apex in an almost horizontal position. The opposite face of the stone is relatively flat and so it is reasonable to assume that it would have been lying on that side originally. As it stands now, the cupmarks are situated on its NE face close to its base in the centre, in a vertical position below a diagonal 'shelf.' This would be an unusual for a cup marked stone, and would also have been an awkward position on which to to peck out the cupmarks if they had been made here after the standing stone had been put in place. In the 1987 description 4 cupmarks are noted. Cleaning the stone revealed what appeared to be cluster of 4 very closely spaced cupmarks (2 smaller and less clear than the others) on the NE face, and plus a fifth definite cupmark a little further to the right of these. On removal of some nettle roots at the base of the stone a further definite cupmark was found slightly below the ground surface. Further cupmarks might lie below ground as a large portion of the boulder may have needed to be buried in order to place it in its upright position. The dimensions of the 4 definite cupmarks (including the below ground one) range from 6-7cm in diameter and 1-2cm deep. The 2 smaller, 'possible' cupmarks are 4-5cm x <1cm. The sizes and positions of each are annotated on the panel diagram.

C6. Probability

The probability that there is any rock art on the panel is Definite

Comments

4 definite cupmarks and two smaller possible cup marks

C7. MOTIFS

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

• Right to Roam access.
• Panel is on Private land.

D2. Awareness

• No selection

There are stories or folk traditions associated with this panel No

D3. Risk

Natural

• Large areas of the rock are covered in lichen, moss or algae.

Animal

• There are cattle near the rock.

Human

• No selection

Comments and other potential threats

Although easy to access, the standing stone is lying in a location which is very much 'off the beaten track'. Although in an area used by cattle and otherwise generally neglected it doesn't appear to be to be at any risk. The same can't be said for any visiting rock art of archaeological enthusiasts however, as the stone is well embedded in a nettle patch and the summer midges there are horrific!