St Brandan’s Stanes

Also known as:
Brannan Stanes and St Brandon's Stones
Nearest town:
Portsoy (5km NW)
OS reference:
NJ607610
OS sheet:
29
Latitude:
57° 38' 14.29 N
Longitude:
2° 39' 29.88 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of St Brandan’s Stanes (Stone Circle) by drewbhoy

Durn Hill, home to a fort and cairn sneaks into the background.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jun 9, 2012

Articles

St Brandan’s Stanes

drewbhoy
drewbhoy May 26, 2009

St Brandans Stanes can be found by leaving the A97 at the A95 heading south towards Keith. About 1 mile down the road is the crossroads with the B9025. Stop at the next farm on the right. An entrance to field is slightly further along the road. follow this track, turn right, then left follow until the trees run out. The circle will will be in front of you.

Two flankers are all that remain. The cup marks are buried beneath the build up of sands, dust and weeds which has built up round the stones. Total walk is about a mile altogether and is very flat with okay underfoot conditions.

Visited October 08.

Folklore

St Brandan’s Stanes
Stone Circle
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Jan 31, 2007

Thomas the Rhymer was a medieval Scottish seer. He’s currently residing in amongst the fairies (he had an affair with their queen). He wrote prophetic verses:

The common people at Banff and its neighbourhood preserve the following specimen of the more terrible class of the Rhymer’s prophecies:-

At two full times, and three half times,
Or threescore years and ten,
The ravens shall sit on the Stanes o’ St Brandon,
And drink o’ the blood o’ the slain!

The Stones of St Brandon were standing erect a few years ago in an extensive level field about a mile to the westward of Banff, and immediately adjacent to the Brandon How, which forms the boundary of the town in that direction. The field is supposed to have been the scene of one of the early battles between the Scots and the Danes, and fragments of weapons and bones of men have been dug from it.

From p 19 of ‘Select Writings of Robert Chambers: popular rhymes of Scotland’ 3rd edition, 1847. Online at Google Books.

Miscellaneous

St Brandan’s Stanes
Stone Circle
drewbhoy
drewbhoy May 26, 2009

St Brandans is the name of the church in Whitehills. More to our subject, the ruined church at nearby Boyndie, also called St. Brandans, is supposedly built on or near the location of a destroyed stone circle.

Miscellaneous

St Brandan’s Stanes
Stone Circle
Chris
Chris Oct 11, 2006

The two flankers are all that remain of this RSC. The 8 foot long recumbent having vanished in the 60’s. The stones are 1.9 and 1.2m high. Two cupmarks may be seen at the base of the west stone.

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