Monument record MAB28433 - STRICHEN STONE CIRCLE

Reconstructed recumbent stone circle, circa 15 m in diameter, and comprising a recumbent, two flankers and 7 other stones of local grey granite.

Reconstructed recumbent stone circle, circa 15 m in diameter, and comprising a recumbent, two flankers and 7 other stones of local grey granite. Strichen is first mentioned by Dr Johnson who visited with James Boswell, in 1773 at which time it stood in woodland. Johnson was apparently not inspired, reporting that he had seen 'some stones yet standing of a druidical circle, and what I began to think more worthy of notice some forest trees of full growth'. All of the stones except the recumbent and its flankers were pulled down by a tenant farmer in 1830. Mr Fraser, later Lord Lovat, the landowner was furious at this destruction and ordered them to be replaced, but this was done wrongly, the circle being re-erected to the south of the recumbent. A landscaped earthen bank was built around this new ring.

In 1960 all of the stones were removed. The recumbent and flankers were replaced but subsequently taken away during tree-felling operations in 1965. Excavations at the site revealed that the recumbent and flankers (still in their original positions) originally lay on the southern side of a stone circle which was probably built in the Early Bronze Age. The monoliths of the stone circle were set in a rubble bank. A rubble cairn was constructed on the inside of the circle, and two stone-lined graves are also associated with this phase. Quartz, flints and sherds of prehistoric pottery were discovered during the excavation. The cremation of a woman lay within the prehistoric bank to the north east of the recumbent. Several hammer stones and rubbing stones were found along with a cup and ring marked stone with six cups in total (now in Strichen Library) which was buried in a small stone-lined pit on the northern periphery of the central area. Excavations revealed that a roundhouse like structure and a timber circle were constructed in the Early Iron Age within the Early Bronze Age monument. After excavation the stones were replaced in their original positions and the circle reconstructed. The smaller stones of up to one ton were skidded into place by the team on pine poles covered in straw.

Period Notes
Date from a cremation implanted into the prehistoric bank of the circle was 700+/- 160BC (which equals 986 AD - 1617 AD at 2 sigma - check needed to see if RC date is correct). Radiocarbon dates from samples from 1981 excavation: BM-2315R - charcoal from bottom of shallow gully inside RSC - 2460 +/- 130 BP (which equals 891 BC - 210 BC at 2 sigma, revision of earlier determinaton BM-2315); BM-2316R - charcoal from bottom of disturbed area containing cremation of adult female - 3390 +/- 130 BP (which equals 2026 BC - 1419 BC at 2 sigma, revision of earlier determinaton BM-2316R); BM-3317R - charcoal from shallow pit (stone hole) - 2370 +/- 130 BP (which equals 800 BC - 172 BC at 2 sigma, revision of earlier determination BM-2317).

PRINT, PRINT (Ground Photograph). SAB14858.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 12/08/1981 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 14/08/82 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 20/04/78 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 23/07/81 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 29/06/78 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 29/07/82 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

THE SCOTSMAN, 0000, THE SCOTSMAN, 25/07/79 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1819.

PETER, J, 1885, PSAS 19(1884-85) 370-378, 372 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1415.

COLES, FR, 1904, STONE CIRCLES OF THE NORTH-EAST OF SCOTLAND IN PSAS 38(1903-04) 256-305, 279-80 (Bibliographic reference). SAB261.

THOM, A, 1980, BAR 81, 156-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1922.

ABRAMSON, P, 1981, DES, 12-3, 12-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB51.

HAMPSER-MONK, I, 1982, CURRENT ARCH No84, OCT, 16-9, 16-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB766.

SHEPHERD, IAG, 1988, THE PREHISTORIC SOCIETY SUMMER CONFERENCE 1988: ABERDEEN AND NORTH EAST SCOTLAND, 65-6 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1744.

SHEPHERD, I, 1996, ABERDEEN AND NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (2ND ED), p. 159-60 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4829.

MacGREGOR, G, 2002, Making monuments out of mountains:the role of colo (Bibliographic reference). SAB4618.

PHILLIPS, T, 2006, THE EXCAVATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE RECUMBENT STONE CIRCLE AT STRICHEN, ABERDEENSHIRE, 1979-82. PSAS 136 (2006) 111-134, PSAS 136, 111-134 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1485.

MILLICAN, K, 2016, THE TIMBER MONUMENTS OF NEOLITHIC SCOTLAND, p. 116 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7307.

Apr 29 1986 , FO 14-38, FO 14-38 (Ground Photograph). SAB14857.

Aug 7 1981 , AAS/81/09/S8/3-8, AAS/81/09/S8/3-8 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14856.

Aug 7 1981 , AAS/81/9/CT 1-23, AAS/81/9/CT 1-23 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB18687.

Aug 8 1979 , AAS/79/05/R3/10-1, AAS/79/05/R3/10-1 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14854.

Aug 8 1980 , AAS/80/04/S4/12-7, AAS/80/04/S4/12-7 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14855.

Aug 9 1983 , AAS/83/16/S9/19-31, AAS/83/16/S9/19-31 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14853.

Dec 16 2013 , AAS-GR-13-12-093 - 131, AAS-GR-13-12-093 - 131 (Ground Photograph). SAB35251.

Jan 1 1980 , AAS/GR/80/CT06, AAS/GR/80/CT06 (Ground Photograph). SAB33186.

Jan 1 1986 , AAS/GR/86/CT260,281, AAS/GR/86/CT260,281 (Ground Photograph). SAB32686.

Jan 1 1987 , AAS/GR/87/CT03-05, AAS/GR/87/CT03-05 (Ground Photograph). SAB32694.

Jun 19 1997 , AAS/97/08/CT25-7, AAS/97/08/CT25-7 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16763.

Jun 19 1997 , AAS/97/08/G17/2-4, AAS/97/08/G17/2-4 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16762.

Mar 3 1994 , AAS/94/06/G15/21-25, AAS/94/06/G15/21-25 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB15061.

Author unknown, n.d., EVENING EXPRESS, 24/07/79 (Bibliographic reference). SAB446.

Record last edited

Mar 23 2026 5:10PM