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The Thurgartstone or Ogrestone is a prominent glacial erratic stone near Dunlop in
East Ayrshire East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquart ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The Thurgartstone stands in a field at Brandleside Farm and is thought to have been a
rocking stone Rocking stones (also known as logan stones or logans) are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. Typically, rocking stones are residual corestones formed initially by spheroidal ...
at one time, but it no longer moves due to a build up of soil beneath.


Name

The Thurgartstane is also known as the Ogrestane, the Thorgatstane, the Fiend-Spirit's Stane, T'Ogra Stane, Thugart Stane, Fiend's Stane, Ogart Stane, Ogirtstane, the Ogre's Stone, Horgar Stane, Grit (great) stane or Thougritstane. In modern English, it is the Thurgartstone or Ogrestone. One explanation of the name is that it derives from 'Thor's Great Stone'. Another is that the name comes from the phrase "''Thou Great Stone''" or just '"''grit stane''". The term 'The Stone of the Ogre' may indicate some forgotten legend. Some names may be spelling errors originating in or propagated by the
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or other maps. Another theory is that the name is derived from the word "Tagairtstane", which means "the priest's stone." Yet another possibility is that 'Ogrestane' is more 'Ogre ton' and that the personal name 'Ogier' is a Normanised version of the Scandinavian name 'Holger'. Brandleside also may be a Scandinavian name and suggest that 'Brandale' was once the name of this valley. It is said to have been used as a Druid's altar combined with possible cremation. The Chapel Crags is said to have been the location of the dwellings of these priests and their holy well with its curative properties was later Christianised as St Mary's Well by the monks.


Location

The Thurgartstone is close to Dunlop on the Lugton Road is Black Burn Valley. Situated prominently in the middle of a field close to Brandleside Farm near the Chapel Crags is the Thurgartstone. Dunlop or Boarland Hill, the site of Dunlop Castle once held by the De Ross family, can be seen from the stone. The stone is in a sheltered spot, with ample running water nearby. Its entire mass is somewhat hidden due to the soil level building up over the centuries.


Description

The Thurgartston is a "glacial erratic stone". It is composed of blue augitic porphyrite. This rock is different from the 'native' stone of the area. The Thurgartston weighs about 25 tons and the part above ground is about twelve feet by eight feet. It is set near the site of the pre-
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
St Mary's Chapel. The site is listed and protected by
Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
.


The religious settlement and Saint Mary's Well

There may have been a religious settlement associated with the 12th century chapel of
Saint Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
near the Thurgartstone site. The chapel was built by the monks of
Kilwinning Abbey Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire. History Establishment of the Abbey Kilwinning was a Tironensians, Tironensian Benedictine monastic community, named after Tiron in the di ...
and was endowed with sufficient funds to support a chaplain. It replaced an earlier church built to supplant the pagan influence of the Thurgartstone. The history of the site is apparently similar to the history of the Chapel Hill site at
Chapeltoun Chapeltoun is an estate on the banks of the Annick Water in East Ayrshire, a rural area of Scotland famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle. Templeton and the Knights Templar The feudal allocatio ...
. There are steps cut into the rock that led up to the monk's cemetery. The chapel and graveyard are no longer visible, ruins of the chapel last being visible circa 1824 and removed in 1835. It stood on a rock by the Black Burn next to the 'Lady's Steps' now replaced by the road bridge. There is a
holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...
in the "field bordered by the burn." The new buildings called "Marys Chapel" below the crags are built on the foundation of the original chapel. Chapelhouse Farm nearby was once called Brandlecraig. The well water arose from the base of the crags and when the road was built closer to the crags it was covered over but carried under it by a culvert that led to a trough surrounded by iron railings. Chapelhouse Farm and the St Mary's houses were once supplied with water from the well that had an ample and reliable flow. The water from the well was still used in 1972 for baptisms at Dunlop Church. Some stone relics from St Mary's were given to a member of the Clement family and a christening font was discovered in the burn at Kirkwood Farm by another Clement. These artifacts are now kept at North Borland Farm.Dunlop Diary. February 2013.
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Associated Beliefs

The Thurgartstone has long been associated with pagan ritual practices. There are still
May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
celebrations and events at the site. This '
Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...
ical' stone is thought by some to have been a 'rocking or logan' stone at one time. It is now firmly set in the 'rubbish' and dirt. There are records showing that "''even as late as the time of Popery''", Catholics would do penance by crawling on their knees around this stone, crying "''O thou grit stane''". Apparently they held a belief that the Deity was present in the Thurgartstone. Farmers from Brandleside Farm did not move or break up the stone as has happened so often elsewhere. They also kept their ploughs a set distance away from the Thurgartstone as stipulated in the farm lease. This was presumably because legend has it that there were pagan burials around this monument. The ancient Dunlop
Carlin stone Carlin Stone or Carline Stane is the name given to a number of prehistoric standing stones and natural stone or landscape features in Scotland. The significance of the name is unclear, other than its association with old hags, witches, and the l ...
is on the other side of the village. The well was said to be sacred to the Druids with magical properties ascribed to the water.


Views of the Thurgarstone in 2007

Image:Thurgartstone1.JPG, North Side. Image:Thurgartstone2.JPG, Dunlop Village in the background. Image:Thurgartstone4.jpg, Viewed from above. Image:Thurgarstone5.JPG, Viewed from above. Image:Thurgartstone6.JPG Image:Thurgartstone7.JPG, Viewed from the slope which runs down to the road. Image:Dunlop Castle mound.JPG, Dunlop Castle hill from the top of the stone.


See also

*
Rocking Stones Rocking stones (also known as logan stones or logans) are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. Typically, rocking stones are residual corestones formed initially by spheroidal ...
*
Corsehill, Lainshaw, Robertland and Dunlop The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire, Scotland. The Lairds of Corsehill Godfrey de Ross was an early holder of the castle and lands of Corsehill, moving his ...
*
Stones of Scotland There are many large stones of Scotland of cultural and historical interest, notably the distinctive Pictish stones, but also the other types discussed below. Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone, (pronounced 'scoon') also commonly known as the " ...
*
Corsehill The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire, Scotland. The Lairds of Corsehill Godfrey de Ross was an early holder of the castle and lands of Corsehill, moving his ...


References


Sources

*Bayne, John F. (1935). ''Dunlop Parish - A History of Church, Parish, and Nobility''. Edinburgh : T.& A. Constable. *Clement, David (2012). Dunlop Diary. December issue. *Hutchison, Jennifer L. (1972). ''History and the Economic Development of the Village of Dunlop''. Privately published. *Love, Dane (2009). ''Legendary Ayrshire. Custom : Folklore : Tradition''. Auchinleck : Carn. * Paterson, James (1866). ''History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton''. Edinburgh : James Stillie. *Smith, John (1895). ''Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire''. London : Elliot Stock.


External links


Dunlop Village and District in 1913

Thurgartstone photo

A Researcher's Guide to Local History terminology

Video and commentary on the Thurgartstone

Video of Scottish Glacial Erratics in History, Myth & Legend
{{coord, 55, 43, 9.6, N, 4, 32, 22.8, W, region:GB_type:city, display=title Stones Christianity in medieval Scotland Buildings and structures in Scotland Megalithic monuments in Scotland Rock formations of Scotland