Scheduled Monument

Ballymeanoch, standing stones 450m NW ofSM4301

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
30/11/1933
Last Date Amended
03/05/2005
Supplementary Information Updated
23/06/2015
Type
Prehistoric ritual and funerary: stone setting
Local Authority
Argyll And Bute
Parish
Glassary
NGR
NR 83352 96407
Coordinates
183352, 696407

Description

The monument consists of a group of standing stones situated on a gravel terrace on the W side of Kilmartin Glen, 450m to the NW of Ballymeanoch. The monument is being rescheduled because of faults in previous scheduling documentation which have led to uncertainty over the exact extent and position of the scheduled area.

There are six stones now standing; four stones stand in a line, with a further pair of stones, on a parallel alignment, 41m to the SW. The group of four stones is arranged in a line oriented NW/SE, graded in height (largest to smallest) from SE to NW. Two of the stones are decorated; the second in line from the SE has at least seventy cup-marks and thirteen cup and ring marks, some with gutters (a line cut through the ring from the cup). The third in line from the SE bears forty cupmarks, one cup and ring mark and one cup and ring mark with gutter. A seventh stone is known to have stood as an outlier to the W of the pair; it has been removed and its site is not included in the scheduling. An eighth stone has recently been discovered, lying partially buried 9.7m SE of the pair of stones, and apparently continuing the alignment; this stone is included.

The area to be rescheduled is an oval 70m NE-SW by 40m NW-SE covering the standing stones and an area around them in which remains associated with their construction and use are likely to survive, as marked in red on the attached map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric ritual practices. Its importance is increased by its being part of the internationally important complex of monuments of similar date in the Kilmartin Valley.

References

Bibliography

The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NR89NW 14.

References:

Abernethy D 1993, 'Ballymeanoch standing stones and Nether Largie standing stones (Kilmartin and Kilmichael Glassary parish): geophysical survey and possible fallen standing stones', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 1993, 74-5.

Abernethy D 1995a 'Ballymeanoch (Kilmichael Glassary parish), standing stones and henge', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 1995, 63-64.

Allen J R 1882 'Notes on some undescribed stones with cup markings in Scotland', PROC SOC ANTIQ SCOT 16, 114-17.

Barber J 1980, 'The excavation of the holed-stone at Ballymeanoch, Kilmartin, Argyll', PROC SOC ANTIQ SCOT 109, 104-11.

Barber J 1978, 'Ballymeanoch: cremation', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 1978, 22-3.

Campbell M and Sandeman M 1964, 'Mid Argyll: an archaeological survey', PROC SOC ANTIQ SCOT 95, 24, No. 158; 30, No. 206.

Jones A 2001, 'Enduring images? Image production and memory in earlier Bronze Age Scotland'. In Bruck J ed. 2001, BRONZE AGE LANDSCAPES: TRADITION AND TRANSFORMATION, Oxford, 220, 223.

Kahane A and Proudfoot E 1982, 'Ballymeanoch (Kilmartin Parish): standing stone', DISCOVERY EXCAV SCOT 1982, 22.

Morris R W B 1977, THE PREHISTORIC ROCK ART OF ARGYLL, 55-6, ARG 16.

RCAHMS 1988, ARGYLL: AN INVENTORY OF THE MONUMENTS VOLUME 6: MID-ARGYLL AND COWAL, PREHISTORIC AND EARLY HISTORIC MONUMENTS, Edinburgh, HMSO, 127-9, No.199.

Ritchie G 1997, 'Monuments associated with burial and ritual in Argyll'. In Ritchie G ed. 1997, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ARGYLL, Edinburgh, 78.

Ruggles C L N 1981, 'A critical examination of the megalithic lunar observatories'. In Ruggles C L N and Whittle A W R eds. 1981, ASTRONOMY AND SOCIETY IN BRITAIN DURING THE PERIOD 4000-1500 BC, Brit Archaeol Rep Brit Ser 88, Oxford, 171.

Ruggles C L N 1984, MEGALITHIC ASTRONOMY: A NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND STATISTICAL STUDY OF 300 WESTERN SCOTTISH SITES, Brit Archaeol Rep Brit Ser 123, Oxford, 149, No. AR 15.

Scott J G 1991 'The stone circles at Temple Wood, Kilmartin, Argyll', GLASGOW ARCHAEOL J 15, 1988-89, 110.

Stevenson J B 1997, 'The prehistoric rock carvings of Argyll'. In Ritchie J ed. 1997, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ARGYLL, Edinburgh, 96, 98.

Stuart J 1867, SCULPTURED STONES OF SCOTLAND, 2, Edinburgh, 67.

Thom A 1971, MEGALITHIC LUNAR OBSERVATORIES, Oxford, 52, A2/12.

Thom A and Thom A S 1979, 'The standing stones in Argyllshire', GLASGOW ARCHAEOL J 6, 7, 10.

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 19/04/2024 19:47