Maggie Duncan's Stone

The case of West Fife witch Lilias Adie has been well documented in the local media and has received national attention via newspapers and the Channel 4 series Britain at Low Tide. Lilias is unique among those accused of witchcraft as her exact burial spot is known. She died in custody before her "trial" could take place and therefore didn't suffer the usual fate of drowning or burning, instead being unceremoniously dumped under a slab on the foreshore at Torry Bay. There are witch memorial stones across the land and also objects commemorating fictional characters - as in the tale of Maggie Duncan.

Ordnance Survey maps show a minor mound named Maggie Duncan Hill near the Gartarry Roundabout where Fife meets Clackmannanshire. When researching a route to the summit, I came across several references to the hill on websites dedicated to trig-point bagging. Not only did they describe the way to the top, but also the appearance and condition of the pillar. This was a new one on me. Ronnie Collins from the West Fife Woodlands Facebook group had previously posted about his attempts to locate Maggie's Stone. The Forestry Commission map of Devilla places the memorial (#6 top right in above picture) on the fringes of this territory but Ronnie reported he'd had no luck in tracking it down, suggesting the rock isn't actually sited at the spot depicted in the literature. The brochure also has an inset black & white photo of the stone, which can be seen bottom right on the above diagram, along with a few words about the legend. Maggie is said to have been carrying the huge boulder up the hill but weakened as she neared the summit. The stone was scarred by her apron strings as it slipped from her grasp and rolled back down. Information about the stone online was extremely scarce - a rarity in this day an age. I found the same old photo but no others. I saw a YouTube clip of a man standing at the stone but he didn't reveal any directions and I couldn't unearth a single set of route instructions. I would just have to hunt it down.

I decided to cut through the western end of Devilla Forest past Peppermill Dam. The plan was to view the old pump house on the way. Somehow I had missed this structure on previous visits. Just when you think you're done with Devilla, something else pops up. From there I would have a look around the base of Maggie Duncan Hill and perhaps climb to the top. It was still dark when I set off for Kincardine and there was just enough light to allow me to navigate the forest paths when I arrived. The woods were deserted and a nice red glow was spreading across Peppermill Dam as I stood at the water's edge. I had spotted the sign for the pump house on the way and decided to view it on my return journey when the illumination would be more favourable. I made rapid progress and skirted a couple of sheep fields to reach the area where the edge of the forest merged with the bottom of Maggie Duncan Hill. I had cut across the corner of Peppermill Dam as walking on the access roads around the reservoir would have added an extra two miles to my trek. To reach the hill summit, I would have to negotiate more fields and logic was telling me if a massive stone had tumbled down the slope, I wouldn't locate it by gaining height. So what now? I had a sudden brain wave when I saw white ribbons dangling from a few trees. A similar trail had led me to other treasures buried within Devilla, such as Keir Well and the curious stone circles (now identified as shooting butts). I'm pretty sure the way to the plague grave was also marked by cotton strips.

I emerged from a patch of dense woodland via a style but there was no sign of a large rock, despite the promising sight of the hillside rising gently away from me. I backtracked and spent a good couple of hours traipsing around the forest boundary, finding nothing. Eventually I called time on my stone hunt and headed back towards the car, taking in the pump house on the way. A little sign slung around a tree indicated the path to follow. The crumbling remains of the pumping station lay around 300 yards distant and a helpful laminated information sheet had been pinned to a wall. The text was written by local historians Bob & Meg Smith who also produced an excellent map of the forest back in the 90s. I discovered the pump house had been built over a natural spring in order to pipe water to Tulliallan Castle back in the days when the area was a private estate. I pieced together more parts of the Devilla jigsaw upon reading the original main residence was Keir House. On a previous walk I had come across what I suspected to be the remains of an old walled garden and now my theory was confirmed in writing. The owner subsequently moved to Tulliallan Castle which is now part of the Scottish Police College. Very interesting, and perhaps I have now seen all of Devilla's hidden delights but this magical old forest has a habit of keeping you guessing.

I was back at square one as far as Maggie Duncan was concerned. I resumed my internet searches and found reference to the stone in a booklet about Clackmannan heritage trails. One of their suggested routes included a two-mile extension along the cycle path that follows the old railway trackbed to Dunfermline. Apparently the stone could be viewed here but - infuriatingly - there were no further details. Now, I've walked (and cycled) this path several times but had never seen any evidence of Maggie Duncan's Stone. The mystery deepened. I tried asking on the Fife Witches Remembered Facebook page but only one person responded. She claimed it was in Devilla near Peppermill Dam, although my hunch was she had never actually seen the stone. It sounded as if someone else had misinterpreted the Forestry Commission map. Finally I found a discussion on a Clackmannanshire Walking group. People were indeed mentioning the cycle path - I was on to something. One lady cleared everything up by stating the way to the stone was to take the old avenue next to Slack Cottage, near the point where the cycleway passes under a minor road. Bingo! I knew the exact location of that cottage. I drove across the next day and parked near the old Bogside Station, now becoming increasingly overgrown. This place is on the far fringes of Devilla and from here I had over a mile's walk (away from the forest and across the main road) to Slack Cottage. Ronnie Collins had been correct in his theory that the stone wasn't really in the suggested location.

Slack cottage was actually in the process of undergoing complete renovation and the access road was barred by temporary fencing. No problem - I simply hopped into the adjacent field and re-joined what indeed was an old estate avenue - a tree lined route with dry-stone walls on either side. There was no formal path but the going was straightforward enough. After a quarter of a mile I spotted the stone to my right, just as the old road met open pasture. It's impressively big and I could only just peer over. No wonder poor old Maggie hadn't managed to carry this rock all the way to the top of the hill. So heavy, it bounced back down into the next county! I felt a real sense of achievement. There's definitely something special about tracking down a location yourself rather than following signs all the way. I had a spring in my step on the way back to the car. I briefly checked out the nearby Brucefield House, an A-listed mansion. Surprisingly, it didn't look too fancy to me and I guess the devil can lie in the architectural detail. I posted pictures of the stone on the Fife Witches page and received a flood of likes. Nobody else claimed to have been there and someone asked for directions. I was of course glad to help. I met Ronnie a week later at a history talk (ironically about Lilias Adie). He told me he used to play on the stone as a little boy but hadn't been able to recall exactly where it was. A successful day's hunting and home for a slap-up meal.