Yarrow Stone

About Yarrow Stone

An inscription in Latin down the left-hand side which translates as: “This memorial marks the fatal battle of Prince Nudd of the Damnoni (Alt Clut). In this grave lie the two sons of Liberalis”. These two princes belonged to the royal family of Southern Strathclyde who shared the epithet “liberalis” (‘hael’ in Welsh), meaning generous. When the stone was turned up by a plough in 1807/08, it was then lying flat covering the the princes’ bones.It was first discovered in 1803, lying flat, when the area was first taken into cultivation. Human bones were found below. At the time, there were several other cairns in the vicinity.

The stone was later re-erected close to where it was found. The inscription is much defaced and weathered and the reading of its crudely carved capitalised Latin has been attempted by many historians from the days of Sir Walter Scott onwards. It seems to say that Nudoss and Dumnogenus are buried there and that they are the sons of Liberalis (hence the alternative name of the ‘Liberalis Stone’).

With other standing stones nearby (the Glebe Stone and Warrior’s Rest), substantial traces of a linear earthworks and other local names open to a variety of interpretations, this area has long attracted interest from historians. Many believe this was the setting of a Dark Ages battle between the Britons in the west and Anglians in the east. Some even associate the site with King Arthur himself!

This area was inhabited by a tribe whom the Romans called the Selgovae – the Hunters. This may be the origin of the “Sel” in “Selkirk”. When the Romans first invaded Scotland in 79AD, the Selgovae retreated into the Cheviots which were densely forested and provided ideal cover for guerrilla warfare and surprise ambush. The Romans treated it as a no-go area.

Their road system encircled the area and kept the Selgovae contained. But once or twice a year there were trade gatherings where skins, animals and produce were exchanged for imported luxuries. The area was a major supplier of bears for the Roman arenas. Later, around the beginning of the 5th century, the boundary was marked by a massive dyke running over 50 miles across country known as the Catrail, It crosses the road at Yarrow Ford and climbs up the hillside to the north before running along the hilltops of the Minchmoor to Galashiels.