Introduction

This evening, I am posting information on the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle near Dumfries, Scotland. Location is about eighty miles S.W.of Edinburgh. Precise location is just north of Dumfries near Holywood and accessed via the B 729. This is a large ring ranking 7th largest in Britain.

Information on the site

Key information:

• The site is much disturbed over time but was probably an oval measuring 284 ft by 260 ft.
• Originally the monument comprised eighteen stones spaced 48 ft apart.
• Today, the residual complement of stones total eleven, with the twelfth removed before 1837.
• Five of the residual stones stand, others have been moved.
• Four of the stones came from local sources. The other stones were transported from Irongrey Hill, two miles distant.
• In the N.E. section of the monument stands a tall, 6 ft 6″ stone, opposite which is a large block.. The circular ‘cup marks’ on the block may be formed by natural causes.
• The circle is aligned S.W. towards the midwinter sunset.
• Considerable amounts of white quartz has been revealed by ploughing. This material is commonly found on similar sites.
• Nearby are two cursuses (prehistoric earthen avenues) in the landscape.
• The entire site is probably between three thousand and five thousand years old.
• To the Neolithic peoples who built the site, the stones may have represented their ancestral identities.

Video clip of site

More information

The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes a section on Scotland’s long and complex history. This includes reference to the principal stone circles. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.