Stones of Scotland

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There are many large stones of Scotland of cultural and historical interest. There are so many, it is not possible to do more than discuss a few of them.

[edit] Stone of Scone

The Stone of Scone, (pronounced 'scoon') also commonly known as the "Stone of Destiny" or the "Coronation Stone", is a block of sandstone historically kept at the now-ruined abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. It was used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, the monarchs of England, and, more recently, British monarchs.

[edit] Rocking stones

Ayrshire apparently is endowed with a geology that lends itself towards the formation of rocking stones. There are several rocking stones, or stones that used to rock at one time, in Ayrshire, Scotland.

There is a rocking stone near Loch Riecawr in South Ayrshire.[1]

In the parish of North Carrick in the Straiton District in South Ayrshire, about a quarter of a mile to the west of the White Laise, and near the March Dyke, there is a rocking stone named the Logan Stone. The Logan Stone is a gray granite rock and rests on graywacke, and can easily be moved with one hand. It is 4 feet 3 inches by 4 feet, by 3 feet high.[2]

The Rocking Stone at Cuff Hill in Ayrshire
The Rocking Stone at Cuff Hill in Ayrshire

A rocking stone that some associate with the Druids is on Cuff Hill in Hessilhead, near Beith in North Ayrshire. It no longer rocks due to people digging beneath to ascertain its fulcrum.[3] It is in a small wood and surrounded by a circular drystone wall.

The Lamagee or Lamargle stone is in the center of a stone circle in the village of Lugar in East Ayrshire. The Lamargle stone rests on two stones. Local legend it has it that the Lamargle stone used to rock, but it no longer does.

[edit] Lochmaben stone

The megalith known as the Lochmaben stone was called the Lochmabonstone in a well known book by Logan Mack in 1926. This stone has, in the Borders context, an unsurpassed extent of history attached to it. It stands in a field, nearly a mile west of the Sark mouth on the Solway Firth , three hundred yards or so above high water mark on the farm of Old Graitney in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. Map reference: NY 3123 6600. The area is also known as Stormont.

The stone is an erratic, 7' high and 18' in girth and weighs approximately ten tons. It is composed of weathered granite, exposed to severe glacial action.

[edit] Thurgartstone

Main article: Thurgartstone

The Ogrestone or Thurgartstone near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is thought to have been a rocking stone. However, soil has built up around the base of the Thurgatstone over the years, which now prevents any rocking motion.

The Thurgatstane / Thorgatstane / Field Spirit Stane / Ogrestane near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is a glacial erratic stone near the middle of a field belonging to Brandleside Farm near to the site of St.Mary's Chapel on the Lugton road.

[edit] Gallery of the Thurgartstone in 2007

North Side
.
East Side
Viewed from above
East Side

[edit] The Carlin or Hag's Stone

Main article: Carlin stone
A view of the Carlin Stone
A view of the Carlin Stone

On top of the Common Crags overlooking Dunlop and the Glazert is a large procumbent boulder known as the ‘Carlin’s Stone or Stane’. This stone is not as well known as the Thorgatstane. A Carl is a commoner, a husband or in a derogatory sense, a churl or person of low birth. A Carlin is a corruption of the Gaelic word “Cailleach”, meaning a witch or the 'old Hag', goddess of Winter. This would therefore be the Witch’s Stone, one of several in Scotland with this name.

Near 'Kirkhill' outside Stewarton are several Kilbrides. Bride , Brigit or St.Brigid was originally a Celtic Goddess linked with the festival of Imbolc , the eve of the first of February. She was the goddess of Spring and was associated with healing and sacred wells, therefore the antithesis of the Carlin. Carlin's Tooth is the name of a rock outcrop in the Scottish borders between Knocks Knowe and Carter Fell (Logan Mack 1926). Several Carling Farms are to be found near Darvel in Ayrshire.

[edit] The Stone of Mannau

The Mercat cross & Stone of Manau at the 'Tolbooth' in Clackmannan. 2005.
The Mercat cross & Stone of Manau at the 'Tolbooth' in Clackmannan. 2005.

Clackmannan (from the Gaelic Clach Mhanainn, 'Stone of Manau') is the name of a small town and local government district in the Central region of Scotland, corresponding to the traditional county of Clackmannanshire, which was Scotland's smallest. The 'Stone of Manau or Manaw' is a monolith of religious significance to the ancient tribes of the area. It has been moved from its original position and placed in the town centre on top of a large standing stone, which was quarried locally.

[edit] The Dagon Stone

The RCHAMS 'Canmore' site lists this monolith in Darvel, East Ayrshire, as a 'possible' standing stone. It is rather curious and its general size and shape suggest a prehistoric standing stone, but in 1821 someone saw fit to attach a round sandstone ball to the top of it with an iron bar. It's 1.6m tall and is supposed to have been moved from wherever its original position was when the road was widend. It is reminiscent of the Stone of Mannau in Clackmannanshire.

Local folklore held that prior to the 19th century messings-about, newly wed couples strolled around it for good luck. Dagon is the name of a Philistine god, who was half-man half-fish. But with a Scottish accent it no doubt derives from something much closer to home (assuming it's not just the romantic invention of a Victorian antiquary).


[edit] Stones of Scotland gallery

The Carlin Stone near Craigends Farm. 2007.
The Dalgarven Mill cup and ring mark stone.
The Dagon stone in Hasting's Square, Darvel. 2007.
The Dagon stone in Hasting's Square, Darvel. 2007.

[edit] The Carlin Stone at Craigends

A large procumbent boulder known on the OS map as the 'Carlin’s Stone' lies next to the Carlin Burn near Craigends Farm below Cameron's Moss in East Ayrshire. The name is the same as the example at Dunlop in East Ayrshire. It has been much visited at one time, with the clear remains of a footbridge running to it across the Hareshawmuir Water.

[edit] Cup and ring mark stone

The purpose of cup and ring marked stones is unknown, however they may represent family trees, star maps, br related to labyrinths, etc.[4][5] The carvings on such stones date from the Neolithic or Bronze age times, being as old as 6000 years. This example from Dalgarven Mill in Ayrshire is unusual in having cups and connecting toughs, but no rings and it may therefore have been abandoned at an early stage in its use. Often up to five concentric rings are found circling the central cup.

[edit] Scottish stone circles

There are several stone circles in Scotland. This is an abbreviated list:

[edit] Scottish standing stones

There are several well known standing stones in Scotland. For example:

[edit] Scottish picture stones

There are a number of famous "picture stones" with carvings on them in Scotland. For example:

  • The Goose Stone
  • Tillytarmont
  • Red Hill Stone
  • Aberlemmo Territorial Stone

[edit] Scottish recumbent stones

There are some famous large stones in Scotland that lie on the ground. They might have previously been standing stones. For example:

[edit] References

  1. ^ A map showing the location of a rocking stone in South Ayrshire
  2. ^ Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire, John Smith of Dalry, 1895
  3. ^ Topographical Description of Ayrshire; more Particularly of Cunninghame: together with a Genealogical account of the Principal families in that Bailiwick., George Robertson, Cunninghame Press, Irvine, 1820
  4. ^ Bord, Janet and Colin. (1973) Mysterious Britain. Pub. Garnstone. ISBN 0-85511-1801. P. 44.
  5. ^ Morris, Ronald W B (I967-68). '"The Cup-and-Ring Marks and Similar Sculptured of Scotland: a Survey of the Southern Counties, Part II." Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., Vol.100. P.47.
  • MacIntosh, John (1894). Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr. Pub. Kilmarnock. p.195.
  • Mack, James Logan (1926). The Border Line. Pub. Oliver & Boyd.


[edit] See also

[edit] External links