Monument record MAB29747 - BERRYBRAE STONE CIRCLE

Recumbent stone circle.

Only five stone blocks in situ (one the west pillar) and two prostrate and broken stones, one the east pillar. They are set in an oval bank, the area enclosed being lower than the natural ground surface. Excavation revealed two phases of this circle. The ground was first levelled by construction of a clay and rubble platform, up to 1.2 m deep on the southern side. The first phase of the monument consisted of a low oval bank of stones, 12.8 m by 10.8 m, constructed on the platform with a recumbent and nine standing stones round the bank's perimeter. There was a ring cairn (circa 4.7 m diameter, the inner kerb bordering an area only 1.4 m across) in the central area within which were two cremation burials. One of the cremations had a leaf-shaped arrowhead, another was associated with a shallow pit containing unburnt sherds of Bronze Age pottery. A third cremation was located on the southeast edge of the ring cairn associated with small quartz fragments. A platform of large stones linked the ring cairn and recumbent was also associated with a concentration of quartz fragments. In the second phase (dated to circa 1700 BC by radiocarbon dating) the circle was wrecked, which involved truncating the standing stones other than the recumbent and west flanker. The ring cairn was levelled and a stone wall piled over the former bank and stone stumps to form an enclosed cremation cemetery. The bank was reconstructed after excavation in 1976.

Period Notes
HAR- 1894 (corrected from HAR-1849) wood from a plank over a late beaker in the wall replacing a recumbent stone circle 3450 BP (Err: 80) (which equals 1961 BC - 1532 BC at 2 sigma): HAR-1893 wood from a plank over a late beaker in the wall replacing a recumbent stone circle 3310 BP (Err: 90) (which equals 1874 BC - 1414 BC at 2 sigma). The calibrated dates are derived from OxCal 4.1

SPENCE, J, 1890, T BUCHAN F C 1(1889-90), 82 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1808.

COLES, FR, 1904, STONE CIRCLES OF THE NORTH-EAST OF SCOTLAND IN PSAS 38(1903-04) 256-305, 288-90, PLAN, ILLUS (Bibliographic reference). SAB261.

KEILLER, A, 1928, FINAL REPORT UPON SUCH OF THE MEGALITHIC MOMUMENTS OF ABERDEENSHIRE AS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED AS ANCIENT MONUMENTS, 15 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1031.

BURL, HAW, 1976, DES, 6, 6 (Bibliographic reference). SAB166.

BURL, HAW, 1977, DES, 4-5, 4-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB167.

SHEPHERD, IAG, 1979, EARLY GRAMPIAN, 13, ILLUS (Bibliographic reference). SAB1636.

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

Feb 14 1997 , AAS/GR/97/CT28-34, AAS/GR/97/CT28-34 (Ground Photograph). SAB33005.

Jan 1 1976 , AAS/GR/76/CT127, 133-4, AAS/GR/76/CT127, 133-4 (Ground Photograph). SAB32446.

Jan 1 1984 , AAS/GR/84/CT109-110, AAS/GR/84/CT109-110 (Ground Photograph). SAB32634.

Jan 1 1998 , AAS/GR/98/CT760, AAS/GR/98/CT760 (Ground Photograph). SAB33090.

Jul 7 1985 , EQ1-5, EQ1-5 (Ground Photograph). SAB15018.

Jul 7 1985 , ER9-13, ER9-13 (Ground Photograph). SAB15019.

Mar 1 1997 , AAS/GR/97/CT130-133, AAS/GR/97/CT130-133 (Ground Photograph). SAB33027.

May 9 1978 , AV 13-14, AV 13-14 (Ground Photograph). SAB33273.

Record last edited

Apr 6 2026 9:30AM