108 Transactio7is. 



4. Notice of the Principal Scottish Antiquities in the Grierson 

 Museum, Thornhill. 



By Dr George F. Black, Edinburgh. 



Among the numerous local museums in Scotland the Grierson 

 Museum in Thornhill occupies a foremost place, in consequence 

 of the extent and variety of its collections. In addition to its 

 large natural history and geological collections, it is also rich in 

 local archseological specimens of stone and bronze, and in miscel- 

 laneous antiquities of later date. In the following paper it is 

 purposed to put on record an account of the principal antiquities 

 in the collection in the hope that such may be of use to local 

 archaeologists. For convenience of description, we may roughly 

 group the specimens in the collection under the heads of Stone, 

 Bronze, Roman, and Mediceval. It is to be borne in mind, how- 

 ever, that all the stone implements do not necessarily belong to 

 what is known as the " Stone Age."* 



Stone Implements. 



The objects of stone consist mostly of axes or celts, perforated 

 hammers, whorls, balls, socket-stones, &c. Of these articles tlie 

 axes are the only specimens which can with safety be assigned to 

 the " Stone Age." 



Axes. — The stone axes in the collection are fourteen in number, 

 and possess no special points of interest either in shape or finish. 

 Of the fourteen specimens ten were found in Dumfriesshire alone, 

 three in Ayrshire, while the remaining specimen (6) is from 

 Aberdeenshire. One of felstone (1) found at Dalbeattie, 8^ 

 inches in length by 3 inches in breadth across the cutting end, is 

 sharp-edged at the butt, and has the sides ground flat. A second 

 axe (2) of mottled stone, found at Barndennoch, Keir, 7| inches 

 in length by 2| inches across the cutting end, also has the butt 

 brought to a sharp edge and the sides inclined to flatness. Another 

 axe of this type (8), found at Terregles, has in addition an oblique 

 cutting edge. This oblique cutting edge is generally supposed to 

 be due to the re-sharpening of an axe which has been subject to 

 much rough usage near one side. A fourth axe (5) of weathered 

 felstone, found at Boreland Smithy, Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, also 



* The numbers within parentheses are the numbers attached to the 

 specimens in the antiquarian section of the Museum. 



