The Henderson Stone (''Clach Eanruig'' in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

) is a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

in a field in the Glencoe (Carnoch) area of

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 ...

. ''Clach Eanruig'' is translated alternatively as Henderson Stone or Henry's Stone.''Argyll Ordnance Survey Name Book, Argyll''
vol. 49 at 19 (1868-1878) (''Clach Eanruig'': “This well known name is applied to a granite boulder about 3 ½ feet in height, situated in a field a little south of Carnach, and deriving this appellation from the tradition that one of the soldiers named Henderson or Henry, billeted with a family in the above village, took one of its members to this stone, the night previous to the Massacre (of Glencoe (1692), and addressing it, gave warning of the approaching danger, his companion understanding, saved himself by instant flight. Sign ‘Henry’s Stone’”).

History

Oral tradition in the area includes stories involving the Henderson Stone and a warning from a Campbell soldier of the impending

Massacre of Glencoe The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, alleged ...

in 1692. Although the details vary from one version of the story to another, each version has certain commonalities. Legend has it one of the soldiers, who had been billeted with the Clan

MacDonald of Glencoe The MacDonalds of Glencoe, also known as Clann Iain Abrach, was a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. They were named after Glen Coe. the MacDonalds of Glen Coe (or MacIains as they were more specifically known) hav ...

for ten days, knew of the order to kill the MacDonalds early the next morning. He sought to warn his host of the impending massacre. While walking with the local, the soldier speaks a warning directly to the stone. The exact wording of the warning statement varies by retelling, but goes something like this: "Great stone in the Glen, though you have every right to be there, if you knew what was to happen tonight you would not stay there on any account."Dorson, Richard �
Sources for the Traditional History of the Scottish Highlands and Western Islands
�� in ''Journal of the Folklore Institute'' (Aug 1, 1971) vol 8(2), p. 147, 156, 158-59.Lang, Andrew ''History of Scotland'' (1907) vol. 4 at 44-45: (“Thou grey stone of the glen, Though great is thy right to be in it, If thou but knewest what is to happen this night, Thou wouldst not abide here.”).Prebble, John
Glencoe: The Story of the Massacre
' (1966) at 207-208, 219-220 (‘Great stone of the glen!’ he said, ‘Great is your right to be here. But if you knew what will happen this night you would be up and away.’). Tradition has it that the local who heard the cryptic message to the stone escaped, but was unable to warn many others.

John Prebble John Edward Curtis Prebble, FRSL, OBE, (23 June 1915 – 30 January 2001) was an English journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. He is known for his studies of Scottish history. Early life He was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, but in 192 ...

, in ''Glencoe: the story of the massacre'', analyzes the significance of the stories of the warnings at Henderson Stone in this way:

The Campbells of Argyll’s Regiment were Highland, and the inviolability of hospitality was as sacred to them as to any other clan, murder under trust was as great a sin. This is remembered in the stories which the Glencoe people told for another hundred and fifty years. Confused and contradictory though the legends became, they do record the truth that some of the Argyll men were revolted by the orders given them, and that within the oath of obedience they had taken they attempted to warn the people. . . . And for each warning remembered by the MacDonalds, there may have been another forgotten. When the order was given two hours before dawn on Saturday, there were soldiers who killed no one, who turned their backs on running shadows, who heard no frightened breathing in the dark.

A commemorative sign has been located at the Henderson Stone since at least 1870. Commemorations are on occasion held at the site of the stone.Pagan, Sue
Henderson Stone dedicated at Glencoe
''The Oban Times'' (17 Sept 1998) retrieved 11 Dec 2018; Henderson, Allen, �
Henderson Stone Commemoration 2016
�� retrieved 25 March 2020; Henderson, Allen, �
Henderson Service 2017 & Henderson Stone
�� retrieved 25 March 2020; Henderson, Allen
Henderson Stone Commemoration 2019
retrieved 25 March 2020.

References

Monuments and memorials in Scotland A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Massacres in Scotland A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

1692 in Scotland

History of the Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

Jacobite rising of 1689 The Jacobite rising of 1689 was a conflict fought primarily in the Scottish Highlands, whose objective was to put James II & VII back on the throne, following his deposition by the November 1688 Glorious Revolution. Named after "Jacobus", the L ...

Scottish folklore Glen Coe Individual rocks Granite formations