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MHG3790 - Chambered cairn - Druidtemple Farm, Inverness

Summary

A chambered cairn of 'Clava'-type at Druidtemple Farm, near inverness. Now somewhat denuded with much of the cairn material removed leaving two rings of stone.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A chambered cairn of 'Clava'-type at Druidtemple Farm, near inverness. Now somewhat denuded with much of the cairn material removed leaving two rings of stone.

(NH 68514201) Stone Circles {NR}
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1906)

The structure which next deserves our attention is the great temple or clachan (the general Gaelic name for all edifices supposed to have been used for religious purposes) of Inches, situated on the slope of the Leys, about two miles south of Inverness. It is the most entire and the largest structure of the kind in Inverness-shire. It consists of two circles, there being four stones in the interior area, perhaps the remains of a third circle, or more probably the supporters of a flat altar stone, or cromlech, now removed. The diameter of this inner circle would have been 5 yards; that of the second, which is quite entire, 13½ yards. This last contains 28 stones set close to each other, and bending inwards, the larger ones being ranged round the western segment, and the principal entrance, which is 3 yards wide, bearing due east from the centre. The average height of the stones is 3 feet. The diameter of the outer circle is 24 yards; the stones at present composing it are 15 in number, of the average height of 4 feet; but there are two larger than the rest, bearing S.S.W. and E.N.E. Of these two the western or main pillar of the edifice is a rude regular prism, 9 feet high, 15 feet in circumference, and about 4½ feet by 2½ across the top. On the top there is no hollow or basin; and the mass is probably about 3 feet sunk in the ground. The corresponding stone in the E.N.E. point of this circle is also a kind of prism, 4½ feet high, 9 in girth and 2 feet square on the top. (Near the temple above described, a stone coffin or kistavean was lately discovered. It was 3 feet long, 2 broad, and 2 deep, and was filled to the depth of 6 or 7 inches with a fine mould, formed of sand, burnt bones, and ashes. It lay due east and west; and at the opposite ends, imbedded in the mould, were found two rude sepulchral urns, which are now in the museum of the Northern Institution at Inverness. [see MHG3785]) <1>

Five very fine stone circles occur in this vicinity - at Leys, Gask, Tordarroch, Croftcroy, and Mid Lairgs. I have seen a cist found a few yards beyond the outer circle of Leys. It contained no remains. Another cist was found recently in this circle. <2>

Circle No. 30. - The circle at Druid Temple Farm of Leys, 2 miles south of the town of Inverness (fig. 20), is the most complete one in this neighbourhood. It is situated on a slight eminence, and in a prominent and beautiful situation, overlooking the town of Inverness and the whole valley of the Ness and Moray Firth. The outer ring is about 77 feet in diameter outside and appears to have been intended to consist of nine, or possibly ten, stone pillars, six of which are still in a standing position. (See the developed view, fig. 21.). Three or four of the pillars are very massive blocks. The intermediate ring is about 43 feet in diameter outside, and is not exactly circular in form, nor drawn to the same centre as the other ring, the extent of excentricity being about 3 feet, as may be seen on the plan (fig. 20). Very little trace of the inner-most ring can be seen, two stones only being in a standing position; but it appears to have been about 12 feet in diameter inside, and still more off the centre than the intermediate ring. An entrance passage is indicated by an irregular double line of standing stones, of a smaller size, pointing in the direction of S, 5° E. From the irregularities in the form of its different rings, and from the number of large stones that are lying promiscuously on the ground on the outside and inside of the outer ring, it would seem either that this circle has been very roughly handled as a quarry for stones or otherwise, or that its construction was stopped when half finished, and before the materials collected had been property placed. A portion of a twisted three-cornered torc of gold about 22 inches long, and hooked at both ends, was turned up by the plough in a field adjoining in 1824 (see MHG3789). <3>

The site was visited by G.F. Brown in c.1920 and photographed by Esmé Smythe: Passing now into the shire of Inverness we find ourselves again in a new world of temple-building art. It is clear that at the great site on the Druids' Temple farm we are in the presence of the most advanced stage of the art. The temple here is as far removed from Clava as it is from the neighbourhood of Dunecht in its principal feature. There are two concentric circles, with an interior group of stones now in disorder. Plate XXXV shews the largest stone of the outer ring. Beyond it on the right, near the trees, the next of the great stones of the outer ring is seen lying. In front of these two stones are two stones lying down, apparently the portal stones between which was the way from the great stone towards the entrance to the inner of the two circles. This would be a south-west entrance. Plate XXXVII shews another entrance, between two of the great stones of the outer circle. It is very little north of east, and it is the natural line of entrance from the glen in which the Druid priests are supposed to have dwelled. The two fine stones are 1 5 feet apart. Passing through them toward the centre of the temple, you come to a corresponding opening 15 feet wide in the close packed boulders which form the inner ring. Five of these are seen on the right of the picture, and between the two outliers are seen the continuation of the close-packed boulders with the top of the next outlier shewing above. Plate XXXVIII shews the south-west opening. In the foreground are the two stones shewn in Plate XXXV lying down, presumably the portal stones between which the pathway went from the great stone shewn in Plate XXXV. The close-packed boulders on the left are clear, as is the opening, and the continuance of the impassable ring. Across the inner circle we see from the inside a large number of this ring of stones, up to the opening we saw in Plate XXXVII. In the centre of the inner ring are seen large stones lying about in disorder. We have suggested elsewhere that special force must have been employed to produce this confusion, leading us to suppose that here we are at the penetralia of whatever was the most barbarous part of the temple worship, and have evidence of the violence of reforming zeal when the devilish ceremonial was abolished. There has been no attempt to disturb any of the noble boulders closely packed which formed the enclosure. So far as the outer ring of great stones is concerned, there is no sign of intentional overthrow in the case of those that have fallen. The diameter of the outer ring has been about 80 feet. Nine of the stones have fallen, seven or eight are standing. Their dimensions are considerable, heights from 5½ to 6½ feet, girths from 14 to 15½ feet. One which is lying quite clear of soil is 8½ feet long and 6 feet broad. The diameter of the close-set ring of boulders is about 36 feet; 28 of its stones are in situ. In a paper in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, xviii. P. 360 some interesting averages are given in respect of the stone circles of Nairn and Inverness. The average number of stones in the outer of the three concentric circles is 11. These are large stones described above, standing far off each other. The average diameter of the outer circle is 96 feet; of the intermediate circle 53 feet; of the inner circle, which is usually found in Nairn and Inverness, 19 feet. The average place of entry is S. 18° W. This is the most important of the averages. It shews that from the place of entry, which corresponds to the Aberdeenshire recumbent stone and may be called the place of observation, the alignment across the centre of the circle has an angle of 18° with the true north. Thus, the normal line of observation strikes the horizon at a point far north of the furthermost northern point of sunrise. <4>

This site was recorded as part of the RCAHMS Emergency Survey, undertaken by A Graham and V Gordon Childe during World War 2 (see associated Canmore record).

The ste was investigated by S Piggott in 1952: (a) Druidtemple, Leys Castle. The remains of the chambered cairn lie behind the present farm of Druidtemple, nearly one mile NNE. From Leys Castle. It lies on a low hill within the 400-foot contour, with a notable view northwards over the mouth of the Ness and the Beauly Firth (Nat. Grid Ref. NH (82)/684420). All the stones are massive rounded or columnar boulders: the kerb is almost complete, with 28 stones surviving on a diameter of about 40 ft. and an average height of some 4 ft. Of the surrounding free-standing circle, 85 ft. in diameter, 5 stones still stand upright and another 5 are fallen or leaning. The standing-stones average 5 ft. high except for that on the W. of the entrance to the cairn, which is a huge block 9 ft. in height. Most of the stones of the passage are fallen or leaning, but its line is clear, and 2 stones forming the entrance pair to the chamber remain in situ. An area was stripped beyond these stones on the site of the destroyed chamber, and it was found that the old surface had been dug over and was now covered with 2 ft. of stony debris, among which flat slabs of a type suitable for corbels were relatively abundant, and rounded white quartz pebbles were common. A few small scraps of cremated bone scattered through this disturbed soil were the only finds made. <5>

The small amount of cremated remains from the site, as excavated by S Piggott, were analysed and reported on by F.O. Lisowski. They may have represented a single individual with the small single tooth found indicating a younger person. <6>

The site was visited by A.S. Henshall on 09/04/1957 and described in full. <7>

The remains of this cairn stand on a slight elevation within a tree-clump.
Revised at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (J L D) 23 March 1962.

The site was Scheduled in 1964.

Listed by A. Thom. <8>

Listed by A. Burl. <9>

Listed by RCAHMS (using HensHall numbering as INV 30): This Clava passage-grave measures 12.2m in diameter over a boulder kerb. Two stones of the central chamber and two stones of the passage can still be seen. There are six stones of the surrounding stone circle in situ; the rest have fallen. In 1952 excavation within the chamber revealed scattered quartz pebbles and fragments of cremated bone. April 1979. <10>

The site was revisted by A.S. Henshall and J.N.G. Ritchie in 1997 and described in full. <11>

Site photographed by Christine Yuil, 10/2002 - see Thumbnail Picture.
J Aikten : 22/1/04

The site was re-scheduled by Historic Scotland in 2007.

Sources/Archives (11)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 6851 4201 (44m by 44m)
Map sheet	NH64SE
Civil Parish	INVERNESS AND BONA
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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