This is an Annexe to Outcomes of Initial Investigations.
Class 2 Stones were placed in 2 Groups. Group 1 are or were “near a formal belief structure” and Group 2 are or were “not near a formal belief structure”.
Distributing the 37 Stone locations in Group 1 across the combinations of proximity to water and association with a Saint – or not – resulted in:-
Set 1 – 4 within proximity of water and having an association with a Saint,
Set 2 – 12 within proximity of water but not having an association with a Saint,
Set 3 – 6 not within proximity of water but having an association with a Saint and
Set 4 – 15 not within proximity of water nor having an association with a Saint.
There was no significance between the combinations within any individual Set. However, using this approach was useful to see if there might have been.
Taking all the Sets together (1 to 4) showed that 43% of the Stones in Group 1 have a water proximity and 27% have an association with a Saint. Being near water does not seem to be a requirement, as such, when the location decision for any given Stone was made. Because a Saint’s name might be associated with a Stone or its location does not directly confirm that the setting up of the Stone was necessarily in the Saint’s lifetime. This aspect needs further investigation as in some cases it may lead to dating not just the Stone’s carving but to the arrival of Christianity in the vicinity.
Of the 12 Stone locations that became Group 2 i.e. not near a formal belief structure, 58% are within proximity of water and 17% have an association with a Saint. Interestingly a higher percentage of Group 2 Stones compared with Group 1 for their proximity to water. Maybe merely for practical reasons but perhaps tied in with aspects of belief. Two Stones in this Group have an association with a Saint albeit the locations are not near “belief structures” (generally churches / churchyards) – maybe, quite simply, movements of population caused these sites not to move forward to become church locations but were given an association with a Saint.
Considering the 49 Stone locations for Groups 1 and 2 together, 74% are in Group 1. This is arguably not surprising as the move from places to practice Pictish-Mithraism outdoors transitioning to Christianity starting with an outdoors place of worship had a next logical move to indoors worship. Locations in Group 2 did not make that next step.
Looking at the number of locations for Stones “in a raised or open area”, 3 locations are in Group 1 but 7 locations are in Group 2. Putting these into a bigger picture, there are 29 Class 1 Stones “in a raised or open area” (predominantly Pictish-Mithraic only) and 11 Class 2 i.e. Pictish-Mithraic and Christian. Changing demographics and methods of practicing beliefs might explain what appears to be a move to more concentrated areas. A start has been made on this topic in these website pages on Proximity of Class 2 to Class 1 Stones – to see if there was coincidence or influence.