Yonder Bognie
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Yonder Bognie is a recumbent stone circle near Forgue in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Recumbent stone circles
[edit]A recumbent stone circle is a type of stone circle constructed in the early Bronze Age. The identifying feature is that the largest stone (the recumbent) is always laid horizontally, with its long axis generally aligned with the perimeter of the ring between the south and southwest.[1][2] A flanker stone stands each side of the recumbent and these are typically the tallest stones in the circle, with the smallest being situated on the northeastern aspect. The rest of the circle is usually composed of between six and ten orthostats graded by size.[1] The builders tended to select a site which was on a level spur of a hill with excellent views to other landmarks.[3] Over seventy of these circles are found in lowland Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland – the most similar monuments are the axial stone circles of southwest Ireland. Recumbent stone circles generally enclosed a low ring cairn, though over the millennia these have often disappeared.[2] They may have been a development from the Clava cairns found nearby in Inverness-shire and axial stone circles may have followed the design.[2][4] Whilst cremated remains have been found at some sites, the precise function of these circles is not known.[5]
Description
[edit]Yonder Bognie is located near Forgue in Aberdeenshire.[6] The monument is in ruined state. Whilst it has been suggested by Alexander Thom that there were two circles, if there was one it was an oval shape between 18n and 22 metres wide. Nine of the original stones remain, three are fallen. The recumbent is 3.35 metres long and 1.70 metres high. It appears to be aligned with the Foudland Hills. The western flanker stands at 1.75 metres.[6] The circle is located in an agricultural field under private ownership and is a scheduled monument.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Welfare, Adam (2018). "Recumbent stone circles". In Burnham, Andy (ed.). The old stones: A field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland. London: Watkins Publishing. pp. 314–315. ISBN 9781786781543.
- ^ a b c Welfare, Adam (2011). Halliday, Stratford (ed.). Great crowns of stone: The recumbent stone circles of Scotland. Edinburgh: RCAHMS. pp. 1, 31, 33–37, 236, 252–255. ISBN 9781902419558.
- ^ Burl, Aubrey (1969). "The recumbent stone circles of north-east Scotland". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 102: 56–81. doi:10.9750/PSAS.102.56.81. ISSN 2056-743X. S2CID 210778670.
- ^ Burl, Aubrey (2000). The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany. Yale University Press. pp. 41, 256. ISBN 0-300-08347-5.
- ^ Bradley, Richard; Phillips, Tim; Arrowsmith, Sharon; Ball, Chris (2005). The Moon and the Bonfire: an investigation of three stone circles in north-east Scotland. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. p. 105. ISBN 0903903334.
- ^ a b Welfare, Adam (2011). Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland - A Gazetteer (PDF). Edinburgh: RCAHMS. pp. 488–490.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Yonder Bognie,stone circle 220m S of (SM56)". Retrieved 16 April 2019.
