If?92. account of antiquities in Scotland. 1 37 



erected to perpetuate the memory of some signal 

 event in war. These are probably of later date than 

 the cairns ; for there is hardly one of them whose 

 traditional history is not preserved by the country 

 people in the neighbourhood : Nor is it difficult on 

 many occasions to reconcile these traditional narra- 

 tives with the records of history. On some of these 

 stones is found a rude kind of sculpture ; as on the 

 long stone near Forrefs, in the fliire of Moray, and 

 on those at Aberlemno in the ftiire of Angus ; but in 

 general the stones are entirely rude and unfafliion- 

 cd, just as they have been found in the earth. 



It is probable that this kind of monument has 

 been first introduced into Britain by the Danes ; 

 as almost all the traditional stories relate to some 

 transaction with the D;ines, or x)ther memorable e- 

 vent since the period when that northern people in- 

 fested this country j and I have never heard of any 

 of them in the internal parts of the highlands, 

 though they are numerous along the coasts every 

 •where. It is certain, however, that the Britons a- 

 dopted this method of perpetuating the memory of 

 remarkable events, as appears by Piercy's crofs in 

 Northumberland, which is a modern monument be- 

 longing to this clafs. 



IV. The stones placed in a circular form, as being 

 lefs known than the former, and confined to a nar- 

 rower district, deserve to be more particularly de- 

 Kribed. 



• These, from their situation and form, have apparent- 

 ly been places destined for some particular kind of 

 -ligious worfhip. They are for the most part pla- 

 voL. vii. s f 



