Clach an Trushal ( gd, Clach an Truiseil, , translated to English "Stone of Compassion") is said to be the tallest

standing stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be fou ...

in Scotland. Above ground it stands approximately tall, is wide and at its thickest point is thick, with a girth at its base of . The stone is sited in the village of

Ballantrushal Ballantrushal ( gd, Baile an Truiseil) is a village on the Isle of Lewis in the West Side district, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Ballantrushal is within the parish of Barvas Barvas (Scottish Gaelic: ''Barabhas'' or ''Barbhas'', ) is a se ...

on the west side of

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

. Local legend says that it marks the site of a great battle, the last to be fought between the feuding

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...

of the Macaulays and

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headq ...

. However it is actually the solitary upright stone remaining from a stone circle built about 5,000 years ago. It occupied a place within the circle, although its placement was not central. The second last standing stone was removed in 1914, and used as a

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...

. From the base the stone circle at Steinacleit archaeological site is clearly visible to the north east. The Callanish standing stones are southwest.

References

External links

* {{European Standing Stones Archaeological sites in the Outer Hebrides Macaulay family of Lewis Megalithic monuments in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland Buildings and structures in the Isle of Lewis