Stone Circle (Remains of) — Roosky Upper

This monument stands on good, generally level pasture around halfway between the River Deele, c. 6km to the N, and the River Finn, c. 7km to the S, and 3.8km S of the village of Convoy. The view to the W is restricted by a gentle rise in ground level, but there is an extensive outlook in other directions. The monument is a dual-court tomb aligned almost N-S. Entry to a large, reasonably well-preserved full court at the N is via an entrance passage flanked at either side by a single facade-stone. The opposite end of this court opens onto a roofless gallery now 10.5m long and up to 3.5m wide. A slight inturn of the W side of the gallery may mark a point of segmentation. At the southern end of the monument is a greatly ruined full court, smaller than that at the northern end, in front of which there are four stones, the arrangement of which suggests that they represent an entrance passage. This court leads to the scant remains of an unroofed gallery, now 9m long and also up to 3.5m wide. This gallery lacks any reliable indication of segmentation. The open ends of both galleries are 5m apart, and so it appears that they may have had separate backstones. A modern field wall meanders along the entire length of the monument; it incorporates in its course the W side of the northern court, the front of the northern gallery and the E sides of both galleries and it crosses the southern court and runs along the E side of the entrance thereto. A number of large stones now in the field wall are likely to have originally formed part of the monument. These, along with a number of displaced stones scattered around the site, have in most instances been omitted from the plan. Some kerbstones are visible along both sides of the monument c. 3.5m beyond the sides of the galleries. The E and W sides of this kerb are ll-12m apart. Five kerbstones, three of which are contiguous, can reliably be identified at the W side of the northern half of the monument. None of these exceeds 0.5m in height. Some other stones (not on plan) rising just above ground level in this area are of uncertain origin. There are three groups, each of three contiguous kerbstones, at the E side of the monument. These nine stones range from 0.25m to 0.8m in exposed height at their outer faces. There is a substantial grass-grown mound to the E of the field wall crossing the monument. This extends well beyond the eastern side of the kerb. It may include material cleared from the fields. It measures 54m long, narrows from 14m wide at the N to c. 4m at the S, and is c. 1m in overall height. The level of the mound drops abruptly along the line of the kerb at the N, a feature indicated by a pecked line on the plan. Northern element The facade-stones at the northern end of the monument stand 1.9m apart. The western one is 0.7m high, and the eastern one is 1.2m high. These are linked to the court by a passage 3.5m long and 1-1.3m wide. The sides of the passage are each represented by three stones, with the innermost at either side serving also as part of the court perimeter. The outermost stone at the E and the stone next to it are both 0.5m high. The third stone here, at the junction of the passage and the court, is 1.05m high. It rises 0.6m above the top of the preceding stone. The outermost stone at the W side of the passage and the stone next to it are both 0.8m high. A split in the latter stone is indicated by a pecked line on the plan. The third stone, at the junction with the court, is 1m high. It rises 0.3m above the top of the preceding stone. The court, subrectangular in outline, is 9m long and narrows from 7m wide at its northern end to c. 5m in front of the gallery entrance. Eight courtstones can reliably be identified at its eastern side between the entrance passage and the entrance to the gallery, and these are hatched on the plan. Their heights from N to S are 0.5m, 1m, 0.55m, 0.6m, 0.9m (if upright), 1.3m, 0.9m and 1.2m. Two additional stones, one toward the outer end of this side of the court and the other around midway along it, though apparently firmly set, are of uncertain status and are not hatched on the plan. The northern one is 0.6m high, and the southern is 0.25m. Five clearly identifiable courtstones are present on the western side of the court between the entrance passage and the gallery entrance. Three of these are at its outer end, and the other two are at its inner end. Their heights from N to S are 1.55m, 0.7m, 0.6m, 0.9m and 1m. The field wall follows the perimeter of this side of the court. Two partly concealed stones of uncertain status protrude from the wall around midway along the court. That to the N is 0.7m high, and that to the S would stand 1.15m high if upright. Neither is hatched on the plan. An upright stone, c. 1.3m high, which is not firmly set, stands in front of the gap between the two innermost courtstones on this side. It is not shown on the plan. The entrance jambs of the northern gallery are 1.3m apart. The eastern one is set longitudinally, and the western one is a small, almost square stone. The former is 0.8m high. Its top is 0.4m below that of the adjoining courtstone. The western jamb is 0.7m high. The adjoining courtstone rises 0.3m above it. Approximately 1m N of these jambs and in the inner end of the court is a prostrate slab, one end partly embedded in the ground. This measures c. 2m by 0.8m by 0.3m thick and may be a lintel displaced from above the jambs. Another prostrate slab lies 1m S of the western jamb. This measures 1.5m by 0.6m and is 0.35m thick. Its original function is not clear. Three sidestones can be identified on the E side of the gallery. The outer faces of all three are concealed by the overlying field wall. One is beside the entrance jamb and supports a corbel, and the other two are 4m to the S. Their heights, from N to S, are 0.3m, 0.3m and 0.4m. The corbel resting on the northernmost one measures 1.6m by 1.1m by 0.5m thick. Eight stones are present along the western side of the gallery. Three of these are in a line beside the entrance jamb, and beyond a gap of 0.9m there are a further five. The third orthostat from the N supports a corbel measuring 0.95m by 0.9m by 0.4m thick. Approximately 3m from the entrance jamb a slight inturn of this side of the gallery wall suggests that there may have been a segmentation at this point. The heights of the first four sidestones here, from N to S, are 0.2m, 0.35m, 0.3m and 0.4m, and the remaining four are all c. 0.2m high. Southern element The southern extremity of the monument is considerably ruined, although the basic outline is preserved. Two opposed pairs of stones at this end seem to represent an entrance passage similar to that at the N. The eastern pair is incorporated in the field wall running along the monument. All four are now somewhat loosely set in the ground but nevertheless seem to be in situ. The passage described by these stones is c. 2.3m long and 1m wide. The outer of the two stones at the E is 1.1m high, and the inner one is 0.7m high. The outer stone at the W side is 0.8m high, and the inner one is 0.5m high. A displaced stone, at least 1.3m in maximum dimension, protrudes from the eastern side of the field wall just S of the entrance. Four courtstones can be recognised in the 8m-long gap between the inner end of the passage and the front of the southern gallery. Two lie to the E, and two to the W. These indicate a court width of c. 7m at mid-length. The first of the two courtstones at the W is 1m NW of the entrance passage. It is 0.8m high. The second on this side, 3.5m N of the first, is 0.3m high. The first courtstone on the E side is 4m NE of the entrance passage. It is 0.5m high. The second on this side is 4m NW of the first and protrudes from the field wall. This may also have served as an entrance jamb to the gallery. It is 0.5m high. Around midway between the last two there is what may be a fallen courtstone now partly embedded in the ground (not hatched on plan).