The

megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

Kempock Stone, popularly known as Granny Kempock (perhaps because of its resemblance to an old woman), stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street in

Gourock Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a r ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The stone, or

menhir 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 foun ...

, is grey

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...

and of indeterminate origin, but it has been suggested that it is an old

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

to the pagan god

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during Ancient Near East, antiquity. From its use among people, it cam ...

, or a memorial to an ancient battle. Supposedly there is a superstition that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune. A flight of steps winds up to the stone from Kempock Street below. There is also an association with witchcraft. In 1662 Marie Lamont and a group of other local women were burned to death in the local area after it was alleged that she and her

coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...

had danced around the stone on the sabbath, with the intention of cursing and sinking shipping that passed through the

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

by casting the long-stone into the sea. A decorative iron archway sits above the passageway leading up to the stone. A number of markings exist on the stone. Some of these appear to be 17th- to 19th-century

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

and most are obviously initials. Alongside some of these initials are some as yet unexplained symbols or markings which resemble modern-day navigation marks. These may be

mason's mark A mason's mark is an engraved symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures. In stonemasonry Regulations issued in Scotland in 1598 by James VI's Master of Works, William Schaw, stated that on admission to the guild ...

s but it is unclear why someone would claim artistry on an irregularly shaped piece of stone with no apparent working, unless of course it originally formed part of a larger structure, perhaps nearby Gourock Castle. There is also a 2 cm (¾") hole at the bottom of the stone. It is not known if this hole goes all the way through the stone, but if it does, this could point to the stone having been moved at some point or used as perhaps an anchor stone or counterweight. Given the stone's current location it has been suggested that the stone's original location may have been elsewhere. A 1987 children's fantasy TV series ''

Shadow of the Stone ''Shadow of the Stone'' was a 1987 UK children's TV drama series, starring Shirley Henderson. Written by Catherine Lucy Czerkawska and produced by Scottish Television, it dramatises a spiritual connection between a modern teenager and a 17th-cen ...

'' written by Catherine Lucy Czerkawska dramatises the witchcraft element. The series stars

Shirley Henderson Shirley Henderson (born 24 November 1965) is a Scottish actress. Her accolades include two Scottish BAFTAs, a VFCC Award and an Olivier Award, as well as BAFTA, BIFA, London Critics' Circle, Chlotrudis, Gotham, and Canadian Screen Award ...

in the role of a young girl, who has some kind of spiritual connection with Marie Lamont, and

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

as her boyfriend. Scenes were filmed in and around Gourock. In "Notes about Gourock", published 1880, Reverend D. Macrae writes:

"A Bronze Age standing stone dating from about 2000bc. This is the famous 'Lang Stane' of Gourock, more familiarly spoken of as 'Granny Kempock'... It is supposed that the Kempock Stone marks the site in Druid times of an altar to Baal... However that may be, The Kempock Stane was for many centuries an object of superstitious awe and reverence... Marriages in the District were not regarded as lucky unless the wedded pair passed round the 'lang stane', and obtained in this way Granny Kempock's blessing... It was chiefly in connection with the winds and sea that the Kempock Stane was regarded with superstitious dread... sailors and fishermen were we... to take a basketful of sand from the shore and walk seven times round Granny Kempock, chanting a weird song to insure for themselves a safe and prosperous voyage."OS Ref (GB): NS240778 / Sheet: 63

References

* ''Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland, Edinburgh'', 763, 3rd - Groome, F H (ed.) (1903 ) * (Inverclyde Council website) * (Inverclyde Council website) * ''Round about Greenock'', 69-70, Snoddy, T G (1950 ) * TSA (1962 b) ''The third statistical account of Scotland: the county of Renfrew and the county of Bute''. Moisley, H A and Thain, A G, Somerville, A C and Stevenson, W, Glasgow, 136-7. *
''The Shadow of The Stone''

External links

Video footage of the Granny Kempock Stone
{{commons category, Kempock Stone Buildings and structures in Inverclyde Witchcraft in Scotland Tourist attractions in Inverclyde Megalithic monuments in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland Gourock

See also

References

External links