Hill Farm Datestones

At the back door to the house, slightly obscured by a flimsy porch, another panel surmounts the entrance.  It is rectangular with rounded corners and has a narrow raised border.  Any inscription that it once contained is now illegible.

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Hill Farm south of Candie has a substantial dwelling house built of narrow ashlar blocks and a series of outbuildings in which are found a number of datestones.  The oldest of these is a lintel inscribed “J.C.1742” (the stops being lozenge shaped).  The initials are those of John Calder.

The Calder family possessed the farm for several generations and it is not surprising to find a second stone with the same initials.  This is a small rectangular panel with an incised line just within the edge to create a beaded border; a raised panel in the centre reads “JC 1870” (the last two numerals being somewhat worn).  It is set a little above a doorway whose machine-cut margins reflect the date on the stone.