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

• Urban/Garden

B3. Forestry

• No selection

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

• No selection

B5. Location Notes

The panel stands in the W end of the rockery immediately outside the entrance to Moniack Castle, where it has been moved from its original location. Canmore has two records for this panel: the other one, which has been recorded as a duplicate is BALBLAIR (Canmore ID 269922, SCRAP ID 2676).

Previous Notes

NH54SE 9 5518 4357 Removed from NH c. 509 451 For original location (NH54NW 155 c. 509 451), see NH54NW 155. In the rockery at Moniack Castle is a stone, about 4 1/2 ft. in height, bearing the outlined figure of a man with a stick or other instrument in his hand, and fourteen cup-marks, one of which has been mistaken for the eye of the figure. The stone stands at the end of the rockery farthest from the entrance gate. 'This stone was brought from a spot where it stood for a time, close to the old parish school of Kilmorack, near Kilmorack Free Church. It was however, removed to this place between fifty and sixty years ago, from a spot 100 yard further west, when the ground was them reclaimed. There is nothing known of the stone, traditional or otherwise, beyond this. (These sitings place the original location in the vicinity of Balblair. (NH 50 45)) Information from OS. W Jolly 1882.

Scheduled as 'Balbalir Stone, symbol stone, Moniak [Moniack] Castle Wineries... an earthfast, upright carved stone bearing abstract and figurative carving which is prehistoric and early medieval in date'. The stone is 1.3m high, 0.8m wide and 0.3m thick, and displays the Pictish carving of a man apparently walking from left to right holding a staff or sword, as well as prehistoric cupmarks. It is situated within a modern garden rockery immediately SW of Moniak [Moniack] Castle. Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 9 March 2007.

Class I symbol stone. A Mack 1997.

This stone, at NH 5518 4357, is basically as described by Jolly, it is 1.3metres high, 0.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick. Apart from the figure of a man, only three cup marks are now visible. Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (R D) 21 December 1964

Section C. PANEL

C1. Panel Type

C2. Panel Dimensions, Slope & Orientation

C3. Rock Surface

C4. Surface Features

• No selection

C5. Panel Notes

The panel is a smoothly rounded boulder of schist measuring, above ground, 1.2m high x 0.8m broad x 0.3m thick, standing upright. It was not cleaned other than to remove some leaves from around the base, although it is covered in moss and lichen. The lower part of the carving of a man was faintly visible. Near the base of the stone there is one possible cupmark. There was no other evidence of cupmarks in the moss and lichen covered area, and if there are likely to be very faint. There may be further cupmarks below the current ground surface.

C6. Probability

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

Comments

The stone was not cleaned of moss and lichen. Some drawings (eg on Canmore) show cups below the present ground level.

C7. MOTIFS

Visible Tool Marks? No

Visible Peck Marks? No

Section D. ACCESS, AWARENESS & RISK

D1. Access

• Panel is on Private land.

D2. Awareness

• Panel was known before the project.
• This panel is known to others in the local community.

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

Human

• The rock is located on/nearby a path or place where people might walk.

Comments and other potential threats

No comments added