Thorgatstane Dunlop
The Thurgatstane / Thorgatstane / Field Spirit Stane / Ogrestane near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is a glacial erratic stone set near the middle of a field near the site St.Mary's Chapel on the Lugton road.
The history of the monastic settlement and the chapel of
Saint Mary at the Thugart stane / T'Ogra Stane / Thurgatstane / Thorgatstane / Field Spirit Stane / Ogrestane near
Dunlop is a parallel example to the
Chapel Hill site at
Chapeltoun. Steps cut in the rock here led up to the site of the monks cemetery.
Ironically the pagan stone is still there, but no sign of the christian sites are visible, apart from the inconspicuous
holy well in the field bordered by the burn.
Monastic cells, a chapel and a graveyard are all lost to view, only the name 'Marys Chapel' given to the nearby 'modern' dwellings commemorates the past importance of this site. They are built on the position of the old chapel.
The stone may have been a
'rocking or logan' stone at one time, but it is now firmly set in clay soil. It is recorded that even as late as
"the time of Popery" the devotees of that religion, in doing penance, used to crawl on their knees round this stone and cry,
O thou grit stane from a belief that the Deity was in a peculiar manner present at that hallowed relic (MacIntosh 1894).
It is recorded that the local farmers were not permitted to plough within a set distance of the stone, presumably because of a tradition of pagan
burials around this monument, which is a
glacial erratic in origin.
Some recollections of
May Day events being held at the site are current and the site is listed by
Scottish Heritage.
Both sites are in sheltered valleys, with amble running water and are hidden from immediate view.
Few places have so many different names attached to them. One explanation is that the stone is 'Thor's Great Stone', another is that is
"Thou Great Stone", whilst 'The Stone of the Ogre' may reflect some forgotten legend of how the stone came to be in this position. Some names may be spelling errors perpetuated by or from the Ordnance Survey maps.
* MacIntosh, John (1894). Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr. Pub. Kilmarnock. p.195.
*
Thurgatstane Photo
