engineering

Stones of Scotland

Stones of Scotland is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Stones of Scotland rather than just read about it. In short: Many large stones of Scotland are noted for their cultural and historical significance, such as the distinctive Pictish stones. Stone of Scone Rocking stones Ayrshire has a number of rocking stones.

Key takeaways

Stones of Scotland belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Stones of Scotland to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Stones of Scotland from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Many large stones of Scotland are noted for their cultural and historical significance, such as the distinctive Pictish stones.

Stone of Scone

Rocking stones

Ayrshire has a number of rocking stones. One rocking stone is recorded near the site of Saint Bride's Chapel. This stone stands on top of the Craigs of Kyle near Coylton in Ayrshire. It weighs around 30 tons and rest upon two stones. A large standing stone known as Wallace's stone stands nearby. A rocking stone is near Loch Riecawr in South Ayrshire. The parish of North Carrick in the Straiton District in South Ayrshire, about a quarter of a mile (400 m) to the west of the White Laise, and near the March Dyke, has a rocking stone named the Logan Stone, which is a grey granite rock that rests on greywacke. It can easily be moved with one hand. It is 4 feet 3 inches by 4 feet, by 3 feet high (1.3 × 1.2 × 0.9 m). A rocking stone that some associate with the Druids is on Cuff Hill in Hessilhead, near Beith in North Ayrshire. It no longer rocks, due to people digging beneath to ascertain its fulcrum. It is in a small wood and surrounded by a circular drystone wall. The Lamagee or Lamargle stone is in the centre of a stone circle in the village of Lugar in East Ayrshire. The Lamargle stone rests on two stones. Local legend has it that the Lamargle stone used to rock, but it no longer does. Near Lugar in the parish of Auchinleck in Ayrshire is a rocking stone in a hollow by the Bella Water near its junction with the Glenmore Water. It is made of two vertical stones, and a horizontal stone about six feet long, three feet broad and four feet high (1.8 × 0.9 × 1.2 m). It was regarded as a Druidical monument or the grave of a Caledonian hero. In 1913–19, a rocking stone was at Sannox on the Isle of Arran. It sat on a nearly horizontal platform next to the seashore. The Clochoderick stone near Howwood and Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire used to rock, and it is said that the druids used it to judge people. The accused was made to sit on the stone and by the way it moved the druids judged their innocence or guilt. It is also said to be the burial place of Rhydderch Hael, King of Strathclyde who won the Battle of Arfderydd (or Arderydd) near Arthuret in the Borders. His victory brought Christianity to Strathclyde.

Views of the Cuff Hill rocking stone This stone could still, with a little effort, be rocked in the 1860s, according to the historian John Smith.

Lochmaben stone

Thurgartstone

The Ogrestone or Thurgartstone near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is thought to have been a rocking stone. However, soil has built up around the base of the Thurgatstone over the years, which now prevents any rocking motion. The Thurgatstane / Thorgatstane / Field Spirit Stane / Ogrestane near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is a glacial erratic stone near the middle of a field belonging to Brandleside Farm near to the site of St.Mary's Chapel on the Lugton road.

Views of the Thurgartstone in 2007

The Carlin or Hag's Stone

On top of the Common Crags overlooking Dunlop and the Glazert is a large procumbent boulder known as the 'Carlin's Stone or Stane'. This stone is not as well known as the Thorgatstane. A Carl is a commoner, a husband or in a derogatory sense, a churl or person of low birth. Carlin is the Scots equivalent of Gaelic "Cailleach", meaning a witch or the 'old Hag', goddess of Winter. This would therefore be the Witch's Stone, one of several in Scotland with this name. Near 'Kirkhill' outside Stewarton are several Kilbrides. Bride, Brigit or St. Brigid was originally a Celtic Goddess linked with the festival of Imbolc, the eve of the first of February. She was the goddess of Spring and was associated with healing and sacred wells, therefore the antithesis of the Carlin. Carlin's Tooth is the name of a rock outcrop in the Scottish borders between Knocks Knowe and Carter Fell (Logan Mack 1926). Several Carling Farms are to be found near Darvel in Ayrshire.

The Stone of Mannau

Clackmannan (from the Gaelic Clach Mhanainn, 'Stone of Manau') is the name of a small town and local government district in the Central region of Scotland, corresponding to the traditional county of Clackmannanshire, which was Scotland's smallest. The 'Stone of Manau or Manaw' is a monolith of religious significance to the ancient tribes of the area. It has been moved from its original position and placed in the town centre on top of a large standing stone, which was quarried locally.

The Dagon Stone The RCHAMS 'Canmore' site lists this unhewn olivine monolith in Darvel, Ayrshire, as a 'possible' standing stone. It is rather curious and its general size and shape suggest a prehistoric standing stone. It has twelve small connected depressions spread over three of its sides. These have been said to link the stone to astronomical observations and to the noon-day sun height at mid-summer. This would link the stone to life-giving powers, fertility and prosperity. In 1821, someone attached a round sandstone ball to the top of it with an iron bar. Who or why is unknown. It is 1.6m tall and its original position is also unknown. It used to stand in what is now the main street, at the end of Ranoldcoup Road as shown by an old photograph, and was moved to the town square when the road was widened. Documentation shows that prior to the 19th century messings-about, newlywed couples and their wedding parties marched around it for good luck, accompanied by a fiddler. Wedding processions also used to walk three times sunwise round the Dagon stone on the way to the bride's house. The annual parade or "Prawd", originally held on old New Year's Day, headed by the village band used to walk sunwise round the Dagon stone as a mark of superstitious respect.

The Dooslan stone

This glacial erratic stone now lies in Brodie Park in Paisley. It is thought to have been named after a Mr Dove who laid claim to the stone. Originally to be found at the corner of Neilston Road and Rowan Street in Paisley, the stone was the meeting place of the Weavers Union in the South of Paisley and was also used as a "soapbox". It was later moved to its present location in Brodie Park. The stone is still used today as the meeting point for the annual Sma' Shots parade. Its ancient significance is unknown, but it has played a significant role in historical times and has probably always been a megalith of social significance.

Some views of Stones of Scotland

Scottish stones in Ayrshire

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stones of Scotland

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stones of Scotland claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Stones of Scotland before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Stones of Scotland ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Stones of Scotland

In research: Stones of Scotland appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Stones of Scotland in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Stones of Scotland is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Archaeological sites in Scotland, Buildings and structures in Scotland, Landforms of Scotland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stones of Scotland outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Stones of Scotland in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Stones of Scotland means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Stones of Scotland out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Stones of Scotland in simple terms?

Many large stones of Scotland are noted for their cultural and historical significance, such as the distinctive Pictish stones. Stone of Scone Rocking stones Ayrshire has a number of rocking stones.

Why does Stones of Scotland matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Stones of Scotland?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Stones of Scotland.