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Carn na Marbh

Round Barrow(s)

<b>Carn na Marbh</b>Posted by BigSweetieImage © Andy Sweet
This site is of disputed antiquity. If you have any information that could help clarify this site's authenticity, please post below or leave a post in the forum.
Also known as:
  • Carn nam Marbh
  • Mound of the Dead
  • Clach a' Phlaigh

Nearest Town:Aberfeldy (11km ENE)
OS Ref (GB):   NN741469 / Sheets: 51, 52
Latitude:56° 35' 49.36" N
Longitude:   4° 3' 2.75" W

Added by BigSweetie


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Fieldnotes

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Clach a' Phlaigh, or the Plague Stone, stands on top of Carn na Marbh, and is said to commemorate the plague victims who were buried here in the 14th century. A tablet on the stone is inscribed with the words:

"Here lie the victims of the Great Plague of the 14th Century, taken here on a sledge drawn by a white horse led by an old woman".

However, just as there is a belief that the mound is a barrow which was re-used, Clach a'Phlaigh may well be a genuine standing stone. If this is the case, there is another similar site nearby - the Bridge of Lyon cairn - which is also made up of a mound topped with a standing stone.
BigSweetie Posted by BigSweetie
2nd August 2003ce
Edited 18th March 2010ce

Folklore

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Carn na Marbh, or the Mound of the Dead, was used in 14th century for burying victims of the plague away from the church graveyard. But it may actually be a re-used barrow, as legend has it that it was the focal point of the Samhain festival. A great fire was lit on top of it each year, and the locals would dance around the mound. The Samhain celebrations here apparently came to an end in 1924, because the local gamekeeper was unhappy with people collecting wood from the surrounding hills for the fire! BigSweetie Posted by BigSweetie
2nd August 2003ce