On Tuesday 22nd August 2017, a rather cool and murky day, ten members of the Society met Professor Niall Logan at 2.00 pm in the car park of Newlands Forest for a guided tour of the boundary stones between the Parishes of Baldernock and Campsie. Suitably clothed and with stout footwear we were reminded of the history of the boundary stones and provided with a map on which the stones of the boundary were numbered and displayed.
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| The NE corner of Baldernock Parish showing a line of boundary stones. (© Niall Logan) |
Briefly, the land was owned by the Duke of Montrose who sold parts of it to adjoining estates. As a result, the boundary between the various parishes changed and in order to better define it a series of stones were positioned in what was originally muir or moorland. Initially easy to identify, over time they had become less prominent and slowly but surely been incorporated into the wetland of the muir. However, some were still sufficiently prominent to be recorded on the 19th Century OS and on estate maps. From being 'arable', much of the land had become forested under the management of the Forestry Commission(FC). With the support of the FC and after the land had been clear felled, Niall explained how with the help of the old maps, the use of modern GPS and a trowel he had been able to identify some fourteen of the original stones embedded in a 'hump' or longitudinally arranged mound of soil and stones that defined the boundary between the two parishes.
It was very impressive to see that some of the stones had been carved with the letter 'B' for Baldernock on one side and the letter 'C' for Campsie on the reverse. Although a little difficult to read, one of the stones was also surmounted by “1817”, presumably the year in which the stones were laid.
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| Niall Logan describing the location. |
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The best preserved stone with "B" for Baldernock visible.
The ribbon is to mark the stone during tree felling.
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All in all a very interesting afternoon much enjoyed by those present with a big 'thank you' to Niall for such an informative and successful visit to the South Brae of Campsie.
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| Members of the group at the conclusion of the walk. |
Report by David Graham
