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Macbeth's Stone, Belmont

Carved Stone (Post Medieval), Cist (Period Unknown)(Possible), Recreational (Post Medieval), Standing Stone (Prehistoric)

Site Name Macbeth's Stone, Belmont

Classification Carved Stone (Post Medieval), Cist (Period Unknown)(Possible), Recreational (Post Medieval), Standing Stone (Prehistoric)

Canmore ID 30824

Site Number NO24SE 16

NGR NO 27990 43460

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/30824

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Perth And Kinross
  • Parish Meigle
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District Perth And Kinross
  • Former County Perthshire

Archaeology Notes

NO24SE 16 2799 4346.

(NO 2799 4346) MacBeth's Stone (NR)

OS 6" map (1902)

O G S Crawford (visited 14 October 1939) describes it as about 10 ft high with no markings, and standing on a low, large mound, and M E C Stewart (visited 2 February 1956) says it is heavily cup-marked, although those on the W face are more difficult to see, due to weathering. The nature of the stone is not conducive to cup-marking, and the cups are shallow and many are worn flat. A stone coffin is said to have been found at the base of the stone.

Activities

Publication Account (1864)

MacBeth's Stone is a large standing stone traditionally marking the grave of a 'hero' slain by MacBeth.

Name Book 1864

Field Visit (12 July 1943)

This site was included within the RCAHMS Emergency Survey (1942-3), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, vary from short notes to lengthy and full descriptions and are available to view online with contemporary sketches and photographs. The original typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks and photographs can also be consulted in the RCAHMS Search Room.

Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 10 December 2014.

Field Visit (13 February 1969)

A large granite block, c 3.5m high, 1.8 m long and 1.1m thick. On the N.W. face are at least 12 small cup-marks while on the S.E. face, c 1.3m above ground level there is a "strip" of about forty, small, weathered cup-marks. The stone stands on natural rising ground, not a mound as suggested by Crawford. No information was found regarding a 'coffin' at this site.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 13 February 1969

Field Visit (5 April 1989)

This large standing stone is situated immediately SW of the gate-lodge on the SW side of the Belmont Castle policies; it measures 1.85m by 1.3m at the base and 3.6m in height, and gently tapers to a thickness of no more than 0.3m at the top. On the broad E face there are at least forty cupmarks, measuring up to 60mm in diameter, and most are disposed across the face in a band about 1.4m above the ground. On the W face there are a further twenty-four cupmarks (up to 70mm in diameter), but they are more randomly spaced across the lower half of the stone. In addition, there are two cupmarks low down on the S face and a single cupmark on the N face. Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 5 April 1989.

Note (5 May 2021)

Date Fieldwork Started: 05/05/2021

Compiled by: ELF

Location Notes: MacBeth's Stone is a large standing stone traditionally marking the grave of a 'hero' slain by MacBeth. It is situated immediately SW of the gate-lodge on the SW side of the Belmont Castle policies.

Panel Notes: The stone measures 1.85 x 1.3m at the base and 3.6m in height. It has been described as having numerous prehistoric cupmarks. On the broad SE face there are at least 40 such depressions, measuring up to 60mm in diameter, and most are across the face in a band about 1.4m above the ground. There is modern graffiti (Scott Amanda) on the E face and above this an inscription of a horse's head and possibly a flower which appear earlier in date. On close inspection the cupmarks do not appear to be prehistoric and may have been caused by rifle fire target practice (rational for 'Recreational' classification). The granite nature of the stone is not conducive to cup-marking, and the cups are shallow and many are worn flat or have several flat planes within rather than peck marks. There are similar such depressions on all aspects of the standing stone, none of these have rings or grooves that would suggest having been carved.

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