Outside the gate to the Kirk.
Image credit: Mike Murray
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The stone looking towards the kirk
The stone looking east
The stone looking towards the street
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While visiting Crail Have a look at this. It's not very noteworthy but it has been left alone for a long time. Have lunch at the Golf Hotel, good food and their home made rhubarb crumble and custard is part of heaven.
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This spectacularly dull stone is included only out of completeness. It stands outside the parish kirk of the little fishing town of Crail, which in itself is worth a visit, but I wouldn't do it just for this stone. Don't miss visiting Crail just because of the negative review of this particular lump of rock, however. It's worth a look, and the fish is always fresh.
The Blue Stone of Crail.Collected by John Ewart Simpkins in County Folklore vVII – Fife (1914). He also mentions this snippet in 'The Fringes of Fife' by John Geddie (1900):
This large blue stone, measuring about four feet in diameter, lies in the open space in front of the now disused east school, at the corner of the street, and about thirty yards south from the churchyard gate.
The legend runs that the arch-fiend, bearing some especial grudge against the church of Crail, took his stand upon the Isle of May, and thence threw a huge rock at the building. The missile, however, split during its flight into two pieces, of which the smaller one (bearing the impress of his satanic majesty's thumb) kept its intended course, falling but a few yards short of the church, while the other larger portion slanted off to the east and lit upon Balcomie sands – both fragments remaining to this day (thumb mark and all), to give ocular demonstration of the truth of the story.
At the corner of the high-way is the 'Blue Stone of Crail'. It is the local fetish; and Crail bairns used to kiss it in leaving the old town, in pledge of their return.
According to local author Bruce Durie, in his recent book 'Kirkcaldy and East Fife', the stone is: "A rock hurled by the Devil when the church was being built. It has a rounded indentation known as the Devil's Thumbprint. Sharpening a weapon on the thumbprint is said to guarantee victory." So now you know!
Photos of both the stones. It may even be that they were blued-up with paint at one time?
Sites within 20km of Devil’s Blue Stane
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West Pitcorthie
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Skeith Stone
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Dunino Den
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Boarhills
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Easter Pitcorthie
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Ardross
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Drumcarrow Craig
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