Monument record MAB18567 - CASTLE FRASER STONE
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Summary
Memorial stone dating from the 17th Century.
Protected Status/Designation
- Listed Building (B) 2928
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 7211 1271 (40m by 40m) Centred at - Polygon: Known Site Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ71SW |
| Authority | Aberdeenshire |
| Civil Parish | Cluny |
Type and Period (3)
Full Description
Memorial stone dating from the 17th Century. It is an upright, partly hewn stone surmounted by a ball, which was erected at the time of the building of Castle Fraser in 1617 to commemorate the architect and mason John Bell.
A watching brief in 2009 failed to reveal any direct evidence to prove that the standing stone was prehistoric. The stone’s proximity to the nearby stone circle remains a very strong argument for regarding it as a prehistoric standing stone. A single sherd of Medieval to Late Medieval pottery suggests cultivation in the vicinity of the stone prior to the improvement of the estate. A furrow was noted which related to pre-improvement cultivation of the ground beside the stone. The furrow avoids the stone, suggesting the stone was already in position in the Medieval period. The excavation revealed nothing to suggest that the stone had been erected in 1617 and the best evidence for the date of its transformation into a memorial stone comes from documentary evidence, which indicates that this probably occurred in the late-18th Century or early-19th Century.
ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, (1866) 42 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.
MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2009, JOHN BEL STONE STABILIZATION PROJECT CASTLE FRASER (Bibliographic reference). SAB4642.
ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2010, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND: VOL 10, 2009, p.20 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3514.
SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, CLUNY 27 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: ASH;
- NMR Card Number: NJ71SW 5.00;
- NRHE Numlink: 18721;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ71SW0005;
External Links (2)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB2928 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/18721 (Castle Fraser Policies, John Bell's Stone - trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SAB1360 Bibliographic reference: ORDNANCE SURVEY. 1871. Ordnance Name Book. (1866) 42.
- --- SAB1827 Bibliographic reference: SDD. n.d.. BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST. CLUNY 27.
- --- SAB3514 Bibliographic reference: ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND. 2010. DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND: VOL 10, 2009. Y. p.20.
- --- SAB4642 Bibliographic reference: MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES. 2009. JOHN BEL STONE STABILIZATION PROJECT CASTLE FRASER.
Finds (2)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Sep 30 2026 6:16PM
