Twelve Apostles Stone Circle

The circle is composed of eleven stones, of which five are earthfast; however, there were originally twelve. A plan taken by Francis Grose in 1789 shows twelve stones and the First Statistical Account, published two years later, records the same number.{{Cite book|title = The Antiquities of Scotland|last = Grose|first = Francis|publisher = Hooper & Wigstead|year = 1979|location = London|pages = 169–170|url = https://archive.org/stream/antiquitiesofsco01grosuoft#page/n367/mode/2up}}{{Cite book|title = The Statistical Account of Scotland|publisher = William Creech|year = 1791|location = Edinburgh|pages = 18|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eHJhYJvNploC&q=Statistical%20Account%20of%20Scotland%20dumfriesshire&pg=PA18|volume = I| isbn=978-1-02-234255-2 }}{{Cite journal|url = http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_028/28_084_090.pdf|title = The "Stone Circle" at Holywood, Dumfriesshire|last = Coles|first = Fred. R.|date = 1894|journal = Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland|page = 85}} One of the stones was removed before 1837, when the New Statistical Account entry for Holywood was compiled.{{Cite book|title = The New Statistical Account of Scotland|publisher = William Blackwood and Sons|year = 1845|location = Edinburgh and London|pages = 559|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9uk1AAAAMAAJ&q=Statistical%20Account%20of%20Scotland%20dumfriesshire&pg=PA559|volume = IV}}{{Cite book|title = A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany|last = Burl|first = Aubrey|publisher = Yale University Press|year = 2005|isbn = 0300114060|location = New Haven; London|pages = 124|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yhWFB1JAjWsC&q=A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Stone%20Circles%20of%20Britain%2C%20Ireland%20and%20Brittany&pg=PA124}} The 25 inch Ordnance Survey map of 1850 shows twelve stones in the circle, but this is due to an accidental spot of blue ink on the original plan which was carried on to published work.{{Cite journal|url = http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_028/28_084_090.pdf|title = The "Stone Circle" at Holywood, Dumfriesshire|last = Coles|first = Fred. R.|date = 1894|journal = Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland|page = 86}}

Local traditions recorded in the nineteenth century associate the stones with the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, and link the removed twelfth stone with Judas Iscariot.{{Cite journal|url = https://archive.org/stream/proceedingssecond10sociuoft#page/n313/mode/2up|title = Report of the Survey of certain Megalithic Monuments in Scotland, Cumberland and Westmoreland, executed on behalf of the Society in the summer of 1884|last = Lukis|first = W. C.|date = 1885|journal = Proceedings of the Antiquaries of London|page = 304}} W. C. Lukis notes that in one tradition the stones were said to be set up by the apostles.

The tallest upright stone is around {{convert|1.9|m|abbr=on}} tall. The longest, lying in the south-western sector, is {{convert|3.2|m|abbr=on}} long. The circle measures {{convert|89|m|abbr=on}} at its maximum diameter. It is not a true circle in formation; rather, it is an example of Alexander Thom's Type B 'flattened circle'.[http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=65647 ScotlandsPlaces record]

All but one of the stones are Silurian rock; the other being Porphyry. Four, including the Porphyry rock, are natural boulders; the rest have been quarried. The nearest occurrence of Silurian rock is two miles away, near Irongray Church.{{Cite journal|url = http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/transonline/SerII-Vol4.pdf#page=54|title = Notes on the Druidical Circle at Holywood|last = Gilchrist|first = J.|date = 1887|journal = Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society|pages = 44–45|series = 2nd series|volume = 4|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150109232203/http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/transonline/SerII-Vol4.pdf#page=54|archive-date = 2015-01-09}}

The Easthill stone circle is 3¾ miles SSW west of the Twelve Apostles.{{Cite book|title = A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany|last = Burl|first = Aubrey|publisher = Yale University Press|year = 2005|isbn = 0300083475|location = New Haven; London|pages = 142|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cL5KcoqiOnoC&q=aubrey%20burl%20stone%20circles&pg=PA142}} There was another stone circle a mile east near the River Nith but this was destroyed and used for building material before the New Statistical Account was compiled. Nearby are two cursuses, one of which, if extended, would run towards the circle.

In 1882 it was reported that a four inch bronze figure was uncovered at the circle some years before. This has since been identified as Saint Norbert, founder of the Premonstratensian order and dated to the twelfth century. It is now housed in the Dumfries Museum.

{{Panorama|image=File:Twelve Apostles Stone Circle 2017-05-16 - 1.jpg|height=300px|caption=The Twelve Apostles}}

• Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany
• List of stone circles

{{Stone circles in Dumfries and Galloway}}

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Category:1789 archaeological discoveries

Category:Stone circles in Dumfries and Galloway

Category:Scheduled monuments in Dumfries and Galloway

Category:Twelve Apostles

Category:Silurian Scotland