The Mystery of the Yarrow Stone!
Graphics by Peebles Town Online & Somewhere Uncharted
This highly unusual stone has a Latin inscription commemorating two princes of the ancient British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Strathclyde being a successor state of the Roman Empire, and an early medieval kingdom of the Britons, located in the region the Welsh tribes called YR Hen Ogledd. The Old North. Cumbric was the spoken tongue of the time, which was closely related to the Old Welsh and Cornish languages.
The Stone was first discovered in 1803, lying flat, when the land was first cultivated, and human remains were discovered below. At that time, there were several other cairns in the vicinity.
The stone was later re-erected close to where it was found. The inscription which had degraded over time was crudely carved in capitalised Latin which many historians since the days of Sir Walter Scott having attempted to interpret.
It seems to state that Nudoss and Dumnogenus are buried there and that they are the sons of Liberalis (hence the alternative name of the ‘Liberalis Stone’). The stone is dated to around 500AD and when it was re-erected - in the early 1800s - it was set up, some say, on its side - the vertical text certainly suggesting this. So did these two sons of Liberalis die in battle?
With the Glebe Stone and Warrior’s Rest just a little further along the A708 and substantial traces of linear earthworks. It brings a variety of interpretations to a land that has long attracted interest from historians. Many believe the area was the setting of a Dark Ages battle between the Britons in the west and Anglian tribes in the east. Some even associate the site with the mystical King Arthur himself!
To visit the site and see for yourself, the location is 18.4 miles south of Peebles. Approximately a 34 min drive via Traquair to where the road joins the A708 at the Gordon Arms restaurant. Then left at the Junction towards Yarrow and approximately 3.5 miles further on the left you will find a track that leads to the first of the stones.
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