Transactions. 31 



continued entire until a late period," The latter work also states 

 that " in the same parish a similar. temple was destroyed in 1790 ;" 

 and Chalmers' " Caledonia" tells us that " near this Druid Temple, 

 in 1780, when a block of granite was split by gunpowder, an axe 

 made of polished granite, 9 inches long and G inches broad, 

 appeared in it. This curious object had a sharp edge, with 

 rounded corners. The axe was perfectly loose and unconnected 

 with the block, though the vacuity that contained it seemed nearly 

 fitted to its size." About the year 1843 an ancient cairn on the 

 farm of Torrorie, and about 25 chains south-west of the farm 

 house, was removed, and under it, close to, but under the surface 

 of the ground, was found a kist vae?i, or stone coffin, made of large 

 flagstones, and containing some human bones, which were re- 

 interred on the same spot. A stone was erected on the site of 

 the cairn, and a few years ago this stone, which had fallen, was 

 re-erected for the purpose of a rubbing post for cattle, its 

 supposed use — all memory of its original purpose having been 

 lost. On the neighbouring farm of Lady land, and about a mile 

 E.N.E. of the village of Mainsriddle, on the top of what is still 

 called " Hangman Hill," which seems of artificial formation, what 

 is described as having been a " large, circular, conical cairn " was 

 removed for building purposes about 1844, and under this cairn 

 was found a kist vaeii containing an earthern urn with ashes and 

 some fragments of bones under it. I understand this spot also 

 was marked by a stone, but it is not now to be found. The field 

 has not been ploughed for several years, and as tradition fails to 

 say whether or not the urn was buried along with its contents, it 

 is possible that it might be found were a fresh search made. 



With the exception of a small portion of Wreaths Castle, no 

 part of any of the places of strength remains, but some informa- 

 tion has been gleaned with regard to them. About three-eighths 

 of a mile E.N.E. of Arbigland there would seem to have been at 

 one time a place of strength, known by the name of " M'Culloch's 

 Castle." This name is now almost forgotten, and the place is 

 better known as the " Look-out," from having been used by the 

 coastguard for the purpose of observation. It is situated close to 

 a precipitous bank above the sea-shore, and appears to have been 

 surrounded on the land side by a fosse, which, judging from the 

 situation, must have been a dry one. This ditch, so far as can be 

 judged from its present appearance, must have been about IG ft. 



