The Isle of Skye Part 2 - Corrections and a Castle Stone?

Isle of Skye Part 2 

A village in Aberdeenshire, and what I hope to try avoid getting.

I've been lulled into a false sense of security by Scottish (or Gaelic? or a mix?) of variation in spelling. Ultach is sometimes written as Ultaich, Dultum ( a place on Skye,) is sometimes Duntuilm. The source I referred to in my last post that translated Clach Mhor Mhic Criommain for me (written by a man who was born on Skye I might add), listed it at Boraraig, the home of the pipping college. Wikipedia lists the village of Boreraig as being the one that was cleared during the Highland Clearances in 1850, and was situated on the southern end of Skye. Wikipedia also lists the Gaelic spelling of this place as Boraraig. Still following?

The article on a piping website that provided me with the photo of the stone, writes about the piping college being across the loch from the castle - Dunvegan Castle that is, the hereditary home of the MacLeods. I was re-reading things last night when this hit me. Dunvegan Castle is definitley not on the south side of Skye - it's all the way up in the North East. And that website lists the location of the college as at Borreraig.... I've got a large map of Scotland which is full of different coloured stickers for stones across the country and on that one Borreraig is definitley near the castle. So it seems I have made the mistake of mistaking two different places spelt very similarly. 

I see lots of similar ways of spelling two different places. 

Instead of just being an update to tell you how silly I am, I also found some more information on MacCrimmon's big stone. Rather than re-hashing someone else's story, here is a picture of the relevant text, found here, on a website detailing the history of the famous MacCrimmions.

So now we have an additional story that the stone was originally carried about 200 yards - 182m. We've got information about recent lifts - however the fact it was rolled down a gradient by use of a wall as a lever somewhat confuses me, as does the size dimensions used. I've attached the image of the stone I've found so far, and it certainly doesn't look like it's three foot long by 21 wide and 2 foot high. The height and length looks right, but 6.4m long is absurd in my head. Moving a stone of the pictured size for 180m would be an astronomical task (if we assume that there was some way of using a plaid for a harness) alone, never mind one 6.4m long. I wouldn't assume you could even try levering your way to moving such a large stone with just your body and a wall. The below stone would more than do the job of stopping miscreants moving your horse's peg,  one 21 foot long seems a little over the top. The author could have mistyped and meant inches? Just under 2 foot wide by 3 long seems like it would be more akin to the picture. 

A mystery all around then! Maybe further research will help resolve the quandry, or simply going there - either size stone should be findable I'd imagine and perhaps I shall just have to see for myself. 

A New Stone?

Whilst searching for further information on the Peter Martin list of Skye stones, I came across what I believe to be another lifting stone on the Island. I've got rough or roughish locations for all the other stones he listed, and this one certainly isn't located at those places. 

 The above extract is from the same book mentioned previously, Place Names of the Isle of Skye. The listing is under "Dunscaith Castle", I've just been a dunderhead and missed the top of in the screen capture. Also referred to as Dun Scaich, Dun Sgathaich and Tokavaig. The current remains are from the castle built in the 14th century, but there was already earlier fortifications built on this site.

Now that's some location for a castle.

I've found no other source just yet for this stone, which doesn't particularly say much - especially as the castle was abandoned in the early 17th century and much of our written information on stone lifting comes from the Victorian period. The idea of having a stone at a castle isn't a new one - there's the Chieftan's Stone at Castle Menzies, Aberfeldy or the Ardvolich Stone which whilst it doesn't sit in-front of a castle, sits outside the grand house of the Stewarts, on land which has been in the Stewart family since the 16th century. Round and smooth lifting stones like the Dalwhinnie or Barevan are more often found on the mainland, with Peter Martin noting that many of the island stones are more blocky in shape - but given the location here I'm sure the shore is not short of stones of weathered smooth by the might of the sea. 

A more birds-eye view of the castle

Trying to find the stone in summer might prove futile, I've seen photos of the area in summer time and it is overgrown with nettles, and I know stone lifting isn't the most comfortable of exploits but there is limits I feel! Where would one best start to look? The author isn't particularly clear "right below the castle or dun" - does he imply on the island itself? If you follow the mainland in the above picture across what remains of the drawbridge (apparently it's a bit of a hair raising crossing), you come to the stairs up to the flat part with the ruined walls, is the author suggesting it would have been somewhere below that on the part of the island in the foreground? Or even more below, on the shores some 10m down? Or the third option is on on the mainland in front of the castle - as at one point hundreds of years ago that would certainly have been "below" the castle as one stood on the ramparts looking down. Maybe the latter two are more likely, as if the stone required considerable strength to seperate from it's platform, lifting it and then walking it up a stoney beach/across a drawbridge and into a castle seems a tall order.

I feel the latter two options are going to be the most successful - clear pictures of the island don't appear to show a "huge flat rock" , nevermind a large round stone resting atop. Given the location and the time-frame between abandonment and now I'd probably make a guess that this stone is lost, yet lost might just mean somewhere on the beach? Who knows. If one could find evidence of a huge flat rock in this vicinity that would be an amazing starting point. 

Existant or not, the castle is in a stunning location and I can't wait to pay it a visit and try find the stone. If all else fails, to lift any stone in front of the ruins, knowing that you're continuing a tradition and culture from hundreds of years ago would be an experience worth the trip.