55°32′27″N 5°18′49″W / 55.540829°N 5.313655°W / 55.540829; -5.313655
Machrie Moor Stone Circles is the name for six stone circles located on Machrie Moor near the settlement of Machrie on the Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Description
Six stone circles can be seen on the moor to the east of the abandoned Moss Farm. Some circles are made of granite boulders, while others are built from tall red sandstone pillars. The moor has other prehistoric remains, including standing stones, burial cairns, and cists. The stone circles are placed over older timber circles. A carbon dating result from 2030 ± 180 BCE was found for the timber circle at Machrie Moor 1. Several hut circles are also visible as low rings of turf-covered stones.
The six stone circles are located below a noticeable notch on the skyline to the northeast, where Machrie Glen splits into two steep valleys. During the summer solstice, the sun rises directly through the notch, which may explain why the circles were placed there.
The stone circles were first recorded in 1861 by James Bryce and numbered 1 to 5. Five other monuments nearby were numbered 6 to 10. In 1978, a new stone circle was discovered nearly covered by peat and was numbered Machrie Moor 11. About 1 kilometer to the west lies the remains of the Moss Farm Road Stone Circle (Machrie Moor 10).
Machrie Moor 1 (grid reference NR91203239) is an ellipse with axes measuring 12.7 meters and 14.6 meters. It is made of six granite boulders and five sandstone slabs arranged alternately. Four of the granite blocks have fallen.
Machrie Moor 2 (grid reference NR91143241) is the most visually striking circle on Machrie Moor. It has a diameter of 13.7 meters and may have originally had seven or eight tall sandstone slabs. Three slabs remain intact, with heights ranging from 3.7 meters to 4.9 meters. Inside the circle are two large stones, likely from a fallen pillar. One has a central hole, possibly for use as a millstone. Excavations in 1861 found a cist in the center of the circle. A food vessel was discovered in this cist. Another, empty, smaller cist was found between the center and the northeast upright stone.
Machrie Moor 3 (grid reference NR91023244) originally had nine stones. Only one remains standing, 4.3 meters tall, while the stumps of others are partially visible in the peat. The stones form an egg-shaped pattern. Excavations in 1861 uncovered a small cist in the center containing an urn with some burnt bone and flint flakes. A second cist was found 1 meter south of the center; it held a crouched burial with flint flakes.
Machrie Moor 4 (grid reference NR91003235) consists of four granite blocks, each about 0.9 meters high. Excavations in 1861 found a cist in the center. Inside was a burial with a food vessel, a bronze awl, and three flint flakes.
Machrie Moor 5 (grid reference NR90873234), also called "Suidh Coire Fhionn" or "Fingal's Cauldron Seat," has two concentric rings of granite boulders. The inner circle is 12.0 meters in diameter and has eight boulders. Excavations in 1861 found an empty, ruined cist in the center. The outer circle is about 18.0 meters in diameter and has fifteen boulders, forming an egg-shaped pattern.
Machrie Moor 11 (grid reference NR91213242) is a low stone circle with a diameter of about 13 meters. The tallest stone is approximately 1.2 meters high on the western side. Excavations in 1978–9 revealed 10 upright stones, with a pit between each stone that may have held a post.
James Bryce listed five other ancient sites to the west of the stone circles in 1861. Machrie Moor 6 (grid reference NR90733237) is the remains of a possible chambered cairn with two upright stone slabs at right angles. Machrie Moor 7 (grid reference NR90633253) is a standing stone 1.6 meters tall. Machrie Moor 8 (grid reference NR90573237) is the remains of a probable chambered cairn, with an oval spread of stones about 20 meters by 16 meters. The most noticeable feature is a 1.8-meter-tall standing stone near the east edge of the cairn, surrounded by smaller stones that may have been part of a chamber or facade. Machrie Moor 9 (grid reference NR905324) was a standing stone with no clear remains. Machrie Moor 10 (grid reference NR90053265) is the Moss Farm Road Stone Circle.
About 1.2 kilometers to the east of the Machrie Moor Stone Circles, near the B880 road (grid reference NR92443225), is another stone-setting with three granite boulders, possibly originally having four stones.