A Property Boundary Set in Stone
Southeast face of March Stone 5, photograph copyright Rathmell Archaeology Ltd. The 'B' symbol on the right-hand side of the stone marks land held by Lord Blantyre, while the 'J' shows that held by Agnes Colquhoun Jaffray.
Archaeological survey conducted by Rathmell Archaeology Ltd has identified a series of stones that represent a physical record of a 19th century dispute over land and grazing rights. The desk-based assessment and walkover survey, undertaken on behalf of the Forestry Commission Scotland in advance of a proposed planting scheme at Gavinburn, West Dunbartonshire, identified 11 of the numbered stones, together with two further possible examples.
The history of the dispute that led to the erection of these stones is set out in Robert A. Rankin's "The March Stones in the Kilpatrick Hills: A Feuar's Dispute of the 1850s" (1993). According to Rankin, a 'decrect arbitral' was placed on the muir for feuing purposes. In 1851, Lord Blantyre's attempt to divide the muir into plots of land rather than keeping open grazing led to a dispute between him, Robert Lang of Allteth and Miss Agnes Colquhoun Jaffray. This was finally settled in 1857, when the land was portioned according to the value of each claimant's nearby estates. Twelve March stones were to be erected on the muir to mark out these three plots.
According to Rankin, only representatives of Lord Blantyre attended the raising of the stones, which may explain why out of the last two stones, one is missing (Stone 12), while another is recumbent (Stone 11). Moreover, Rankin could find no evidence for subsequent fencing of the plots, which suggests that neither Robert Lang nor Agnes Jaffray ever held sheep or cattle on the land. The feu for Agnes Jaffray's plot was purchased by Lord Blantyre around 1863, a mere 6 years after the dispute was settled, whilst Robert Lang's neighbouring estates were sold to Lord Blantyre in c.1873. However, the majority of the stones still survive, as permanent monuments in the landscape commemorating this dispute.
Top of March Stone 9, photograph copyright Rathmell Archaeology Ltd