<< Our Photo Pages >> Stone of Morphie - Standing Stone (Menhir) in Scotland in Aberdeenshire
Submitted by C_Michael_Hogan on Monday, 26 November 2007 Page Views: 18115
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Stone of MorphieCountry: Scotland County: Aberdeenshire Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Montrose Nearest Village: Hillside
Map Ref: NO71706275 Landranger Map Number: 45
Latitude: 56.755498N Longitude: 2.464433W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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Although the immediate vicinity of the stone consists of mundane farm buildings, it stands close by to some of the best coastal scenery of northeast Scotland associated with the River North Esk wending its way to the North Sea. The stone has been said to commemorate the burial place of Camus after a battle where the native Scots engaged the Danes. (NSA, 1845) The base of this uninscribed stone is roughly rectangular, measuring approximately 70 by 100 centimetres. The content herein is based upon a review of literature and my site visits in 2006 and 2007.
HISTORY. The Stone of Morphie was first noted in the archaeological literature in the mid 1800s.(NSA, 1845) (Stuart, 1856) Prior to 1856 the stone was found lying down, but was re-erected in that era. Human skeletal remains were found at that time in "black unctuous earth", (RCAHMS, 1982) potentially those of Camus. However, an alternative site for Camus' death in battle has been noted as Camuston. (Asmussen, 1852) The Danish general Camus was slain in the Battle of Barrie in 1010 AD by a Chatti warrior. According to information from the Clan Keith, Malcolm II swiped three fingers in the blood of Camus and smeared a three stroke pattern in blood on the shield of the warrior. (Dixon, 2007) The Scottish name Keith was derived from ‘'Chatti'‘. (Stafford, 998) Since that time of Malcolm II the chief of the Keiths has borne three red lines on his arms, observed as early as 1316 on the seal of Sir Robert de Keith, marischal.
A few years after the Battle of Barrie, Malcolm consolidated his victories over the Danes, and granted extensive holdings of Lothian lands to the Camus Slayer. An alternative account of the Camus slaying indicates that Camus was retreating from a battle at Panbride, when native Scots surrounded and slew him. (Britton, 1809) This second account is not inconsistent with the burial place at the Stone of Morphie. A later alternative account of Camus' death places the battle further north near Kintore. (New Spalding, 1899)
SETTING AND ACCESS. The stone stands readily visible from a minor public road on lands of the farm of the Stone of Morphie in the Parish of Saint Cyrus. The stone is situated approximately one kilometer west of the A92 North River Esk bridge and about 0.4 kilometres east of the historic Mill of Morphie. Safe parking exists quite near the stone itself.
REFERENCES.
- New Statistical Account (NSA) of Scotland (1845) 15v, Edinburgh, vol 11 (Kincardine) 281-2
- J. Stuart (1856) ‘'Sculptured Stones of Scotland'‘, Aberdeen, vol 1, xix
- Royal Commission on Ancient Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) (1982) ‘'The archaeological sites and monuments of South Kincardine, Kincardine, and Deeside District, Grampian Region'‘, Archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no. 15, Edinburgh, 20, no. 144
- Jens Jakob Asmussen (1852) ‘'An Account of the Danes and Norwegians in England, Scotland and Ireland'‘, J. Murray publisheres, 359 pages
- Dixon, Clan Keith (2007)
- Fiona Stafford and Howard Gaskill (1998) ‘'From Gaelic to Romantic: Ossianic Translations'‘, Rodophi ISBN 9042007818
- John Britton (1809) ‘'The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain'‘, Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme
- New Spalding Club (1899) ‘'Place Names of West Aberdeenshire'‘, Aberdeen, Scotland
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