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Bellman's Stone

Natural Rock Feature

<b>Bellman's Stone</b>Posted by LesHamiltonImage © Les Hamilton
This site is of disputed antiquity. If you have any information that could help clarify this site's authenticity, please post below or leave a post in the forum.
Also known as:
  • The Bell Rock

Nearest Town:Old Meldrum (2km N)
OS Ref (GB):   NJ80402515 / Sheet: 38
Latitude:57° 18' 59.54" N
Longitude:   2° 19' 31.6" W

Added by Rhiannon


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<b>Bellman's Stone</b>Posted by LesHamilton <b>Bellman's Stone</b>Posted by LesHamilton <b>Bellman's Stone</b>Posted by LesHamilton

Fieldnotes

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Visited August 3, 2013

To access Bellman's Stone, start at the entrance to the grounds of Bourtie Old Manse (across the road from the Kirk) and follow the generous field margin to the left of the trees, first northwards then eastward till reaching a north-south field boundary. Follow this boundary northwards for about 100 metres to the boulder, which lies a couple of metres west of the fence.
LesHamilton Posted by LesHamilton
3rd August 2013ce
Edited 4th August 2013ce

Folklore

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Yet another boulder with a name in the vicinity of Bourtie and its circles. A report from the Boulder Committee of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1872) mentions it:
Boulder, about 20 tons. Longer axis E. and W. Called "Bell Stane," the church bell having once hung from a post erected in it.
There's a picture on the Canmore website which shows it in 1902, and calls it The Bell Rock. And on a 25" map from 1900 it gets called Bellman's Stone, so it has a variety of similarish names to choose from. Maybe someone should go and tap it to see if it's really called the Bell Stone because it rings. Or, since we're in Scotland, could it even be a Bel stone like Beltane. I mean maybe you would ring a bell from it, though you'd think it'd be better to ring it from the church itself - it seems a bit like a convenient way to Christianise it perhaps. Ah the realms of speculative folklore etymology.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
31st July 2013ce