Strichen stone circle is a
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 ...
recumbent stone circle
A recumbent stone circle is a type of stone circle that incorporates a large monolith, known as a ''recumbent'', lying on its side. They are found in only two regions: in Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland and in the far south-west of Irel ...
located near
Strichen
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer to the southwest and Fraserburgh to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about due west. The village got its name f ...
,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
in the north east of Scotland. It has been destroyed twice and in the early 1980s was excavated and reconstructed.
General description
Strichen circle sits on a hill on a slope close to the ruins of Strichen House, near the village of
Strichen
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer to the southwest and Fraserburgh to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about due west. The village got its name f ...
in
london
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
In its present state, it contains seven
orthostats
This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic (Stone Age) structures.
Forecourt
In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. Forecourts ...
plus the recumbent stone and its two flankers. The recumbent is around long and tall and is orientated on the south-south-east side of the circle.
Investigations and relocations
The circle was visited in 1758 by
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...
with his father. Boswell then returned with
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
in 1773, because the lexicographer was interested in seeing a "Druid's Temple". There were four stones standing and Johnson was more impressed by the local woods.
The ring was completely destroyed around 1830 by a tenant farmer, who was then compelled to rebuild it by the owner of the land (and Strichen House)
Thomas Alexander Fraser.
The circle was rebuilt, but in the wrong place, within a ring bank where an Iron Age timber building had stood. It was then formed into a folly with six standing stones.
Alexander Thom
Alexander Thom (26 March 1894 – 7 November 1985) was a Scottish engineer most famous for his theory of the Megalithic yard, categorisation of stone circles and his studies of Stonehenge and other archaeological sites.
Life and work Early l ...
produced a plan of the circle with its six stones in 1956; the ring had become a tea garden used by tuberculosis sufferers recovering at Strichen House (which subsequently closed down in 1958). In the 1960s, the circle was destroyed for a second time when the trees surrounding it were felled.
After the local council launched an appeal to rebuild it, a major excavation and renovation was organised.
Between 1979 and 1982, excavations led by
Aubrey Burl
Harry Aubrey Woodruff Burl HonFSA Scot (24 September 1926 – 8 April 2020) was a British archaeologist best known for his studies into megalithic monuments and the nature of prehistoric rituals associated with them. Before retirement he was Pr ...
, Philip Abramson and Iain Hampsher-Monk took place.
Items found included hammer stones, rubbing stones and beaker fragments.
It was determined that whilst the recumbent stood in the right place, the rest of the circle was in the wrong position.
The restoration of the circle has been questioned by Adam Welfare, who writes that the smallest orthostat is standing on the north-north-west side of the ring, not the north-north-east side as is typical.
The volunteer labourers found that the most efficient way to move the orthostats was to slide them on logs with dry straw underneath.
By 2003, one of the stones re-erected in 1982 had fallen over.
See also
*
List of recumbent stone circles
Recumbent stone circles are found in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. Their most striking characteristic is that in the general direction of south-southwest there is a large stone lying on its side with its length lining up with the perimet ...
References
External links
MegalithicThe Modern Antiquarian
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Strichen
Archaeological sites in Aberdeenshire
History of Aberdeenshire
Stone circles in Aberdeenshire
Stone Age sites in Scotland