Leave the A96, south of Inverurie or north of Kintore, at the Thainstone Agricultural Centre. Take the second minor road to the right for a mile turning left at the first farm. Follow this road to it's conclusion and turn left. The stone is situated to the south a short distance from the track.
At last there hasn't been angry looking cattle to stop me getting to the stone. This time sheep peacefully kept watch. Camies stone, grey granite, stands at 11/4 meters high and has good views of the Garioch. The remains of Cairnton stone circle are on the other side of the A96.
"The farm of Camiestone, in the parish of Kintore, derives it's name from a standing stone similarly named, where the leader of an invading army of Danes is reputed to have been killed. On the neighbouring farm of Braeside is a stone cist, called Camie's Grave, which the farmer opened. At his death he left a considerable fortune, and this was attributed to his having found treasure in the cist, though the wealth had a more prosaic origin in farming skill and hard work. The top ridge above his farm carries a number of cairns scattered irregularly, and one of these also is said to conceal treasure, though the difficulty of deciding the lucky cairn is solved with a touch of Scottish humour by designating it the "eastmost wastmost carn."
Near Camies Stone is Clovenstone Farm. Local legend, as well as the occupant at the farm, claim that "witches" were killed at the massive split piece of glacerial known as the Cloven Stone. Also a battle between the locals and some Vikings was mean't to have happened here but no evidence has been found to back this up.
This is where folklore and ancient history meet head on. In the field due north is the Camie's Stone and the Clovenstone is a massive rock where various witches, including Isobel Cockie had their cases judged. (fate dealt more likely!) By this time, my sidekick had arrived so the Mad Man climbed up and down for the images. (His better half having more sense brought along some much needed tea!) Looking up and down at this rock, and I know other people feel things at such places, I felt a sense of foreboding and doom. Maybe because of Deystone, various unfortunate witchs, maybe because of an ancient battle between the locals and the Danes. Dunno! Hard to describe, but similar to the feelings I get when I visit Culloden.
Clovenstone is found traveling north of Kintore on the A96, the farm is signposted. Keep going straight, don't turn the rock is to the north (150 meters walk max.) just before Clovenstone farm.
"The persistent tradition is that witches were executed here; this maybe a memory of the fact that a court did judge a witch at the stone. 1595 had a case from 'This Court of ye Burgh of Kintore, holden at ye Cloven Stone'. In this instance the court acquitted two men of striking Isobel Cockie, on the self-defence grounds that she was 'in ane distemper, and they were forced to put her out of doors'. This was at least a year before she was investigated for witchcraft."
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Posted by drewbhoy
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