Ogre and Thurgartstane Traditional Cache
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Park at the small layby. Hop over the stile. Head up the hill. The Thurgartstane awaits.
Its in a field and has been visited by locals etc. for centuries. The stone itself is at N 55 43.161 W 004 32.378, not that you can really miss it. Please camouflage the cache carefully as it is very exposed in winter.
The Thurgartstane is a "glacial erratic". It is composed of blue augitic porphyrite. This rock is different than the 'native' stone of the area. The Thurgartstane weighs about 25 tons and the part above ground is about twelve feet by eight feet. The site is listed and protected by Scottish Heritage.
The Thurgartstane or Ogrestane, is also known as the Thorgatstane, the Field Spirit Stane, T'Ogra Stane, Thugart Stane, Ogirtstane, Fiend's Stane, Ogart Stane, Horgar Stane or Thougritstane.
One explanation of the name is that it derives from 'Thor's Great Stone'. Another is that the name comes form the phrase "Thou Great Stone" or just '"great stone". The term 'The Stone of the Ogre' may indicate some forgotten legend. Some names may be spelling errors originating in or propagated by the Ordnance Survey or other maps. Another theory is that the name is derived from the word "Tagairtstane", which means "the priest's stone."
The Thurgartstone has long been associated with pagan ritual practices. There are still May Day celebrations events at the site.
This 'Druidical' stone is thought by some to have been a 'rocking or logan' stone at one time. It is now firmly set in the 'rubbish' and dirt.
There are records showing that "even as late as the time of Popery", Catholics would do penance by crawling on their knees around this stone, crying "O thou grit stane". Apparently they held a belief that the Deity was present in the Thurgartstone (MacIntosh 1894).
Not only have generations of Farmers from Brandleside Farm not destroyed the stone, they also kept their ploughs a good distance away from it. This was presumably because legend has it that there were pagan burials around this monument.
There was a monastic settlement associated with the chapel of Saint Mary near the Thurgartstone site.
There are steps cut into the rock that led up to the monk's cemetery. The monastery, original chapel and graveyard are no longer visible. There is a holy well in the "field bordered by the burn." The new buildings called "Marys Chapel" at the site are built on the foundation of the original chapel. Its interesting that the Pagan stone survives and the anti-pagan does not :-)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx ng gur Unjgubea urqtr. Svaq 'Gubhyvggyrfgnar' naq gur pnpur vf va n ubyybj pbirerq jvgu oenapurf.
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