Cupmarked Stones in Strathtay – a prehistoric enigma

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Cupmarked Stones in Strathtay – a prehistoric enigma

ALL AROUND US in Upper Strathtay are signs of the people who inhabited the area 2000-4000 years ago: burial mounds, standing stones, stone circles, iron-age forts and crannogs.

The commonest visible reminders of our ancient predecessors are paradoxically the least well-known to local residents and visitors; stones and rocks on which cup-marks, sometimes surrounded by concentric rings, have been laboriously carved. The significance of these prehistoric rock carvings continues to tantalise archaeologists. They may have been markers of boundaries or pasture or been involved in religious rituals but their function remains obscure.

A few thousand years later – in 1950, to be precise – Dr Walter Yellowlees came to Aberfeldy as a young GP with his beautiful and charming wife, Sonia. With a growing family, in 1962 they decided to move home from the Inzievar Surgery (now OffiZone) and acquired a piece of land on a knoll at the foot of Urlar Road.

As a ‘fort’ was marked at the site on the Ordnance Survey map, archaeological investigation was required before planning permission for a bungalow could be obtained. This led to the arrival of an archaeologist, Dr Margaret Stewart, who found little at the site but who kindled Sonia’s interest in archaeology and encouraged her in setting up a local Archaeological and Historical Society, which later became Breadalbane Heritage Society.

Excavation

In the early 1960s, Sonia and her fellow-members undertook a rewarding excavation of the stone circle at Lundin. The fact that one of these stones bore cup-marks may well have stimulated Sonia’s interest in this intriguing subject. She went on to identify, draw and record almost 60 such stones around Aberfeldy between Balnaguard in the east and Bridge of Lyon in the west.

From 1985 she was assisted by Clare Thomas, a young archaeologist who had settled in the area. Unfortunately, the results of their painstaking labours were never published.

In March 2003, Sonia Yellowlees was made an Honorary Patron of the Society which she had founded and served on in many roles for more than 40 years. Her sudden death three months later stimulated Breadalbane Heritage Society to seek an appropriate way in which to celebrate her contribution to the Society and to archaeological knowledge in our area. It was agreed that publication of the cup-marked stones survey would be a fitting tribute to Sonia, and this has now been achieved.

‘Cupmarked Stones in Strathtay: a Prehistoric Enigma’, which has just been published, includes a detailed listing with description and location (with grid references) of 69 cupmarked stones. Sonia’s survey is placed in context with a commentary by Clare Thomas and Alex Hale of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland who is a recognised authority on the subject.

The booklet also includes a moving tribute to Sonia by her husband, Dr Watty Yellowlees, and an invitation to locals and visitors to seek out, examine and wonder at these enigmatic relics of an ancient culture.

Breadalbane Heritage Society is happy to acknowledge financial support for this publication from Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust and from the European Union through the Rural Tayside Leader+ Programme.

The attractively illustrated booklet – modestly priced at £2.00 – is now available in local bookshops and tourist sites.

by Gordon Stark