The John Stone is a single standing stone. There is no evidence to date that it had a companion. The area to the North of the John Stone is relatively flat.
The John Stone is adjacent to a ditch running East to West down the slope. It is possible that the ditch widens at the point as it pass the stone. The East (higher) section of the ditch has surviving banks 0.5m high. The West (lower) section is only a few centimeters deep, but is clearly outlined by a change in vegetation. This lower section seems to curve North to join other ditches emptying into the old course of the Yarrow. There is a trackway running from the modern footpath along the edge of John Field to a point 10m to the West of the John Stone. This section of the track is still visible, especially if approaching from below, and possibly has a further branch down from the top field closer to the John Stone. It is possible that the trackway runs past the ditch adjacent to the John Stone and through the site. There are several deep pits to the North of the John Stone. Most are circular and up to 2m deep, but one is rectangular with a bank at the Northwest end. There are massive earthworks below this area (a large pit with drain to the Yarrow to the Southwest) which do not seem to be related to the John Stone area. |
New 3D model of the John Stone
As part of the survey, I created a new 3D model of the John Stone to try again to see if there area any markings on it. The bright conditions make it difficult to study the surface, especially on the far side (turn the model round 180 degrees) which was in shadow at the time of recording. There are hints of lines there. |