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016 Bishop's Stone, Woll Rig, Ashkirk. |
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Description
The Bishop's Stone can be found about 10m west of the cattle
grid on the road known locally as the Ashkirk Swire, a swire
being a high pass. The stone is built into the base of the wall
on the north side. There are no apparent markings and the stone
is presumably a boundary marker due to its position along a
field or estate boundary. It may have stood upright at some time
in the past. The name suggests that it may originally have been
erected to mark the boundary of the territory belonging to the
Bishop of Glasgow, who owned virtually the whole land of Ashkirk
parish from at least as early as the beginning of the 12th
century.
Directions
From the A7 Selkirk to Hawick road, turn in at Ashkirk then follow
the minor road for Ettrick. The stone is near the cattle grid on
the high ground before dropping down into Ettrick. Follow the
north side of the dry stone wall for about 20m.
Parking
There is plenty of space along the grass verge on the south side
of cattle grid.
Fieldnotes
I am sure some folklore will come to light about The Bishop's
Stone, considering the fact that the stone has been named such
does hint at something hidden away just waiting to be found. The
stone is rather plain to look at and is nothing special but some
interesting lichen growth and a spectacular setting do give the
location at least some value. Probably a stone for the
enthusiast only.
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