Randolphfield Stones

Nearest town:
Stirling (1km WNW)
OS reference:
NS795924
OS sheet:
57
Latitude:
56° 6' 32.61 N
Longitude:
3° 56' 16.35 W
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Randolphfield Stones

‘Ancient’ standing stones are linked to 1314 battle

1speed
1speed Jan 1, 2017

From The Herald Scotland

“A PAIR of “ancient” standing stones situated near a police headquarters were actually erected to mark the first major victory of the Battle of Bannockburn, new evidence suggests.

Radiocarbon dating has revealed the two stones near the entrance to Police Scotland Central Division’s Randolphfield HQ, in Stirling, were erected around the time of the battle in 1314.

It is now thought they mark the spot where Sir Thomas Randolph – Earl of Moray and a commander in Robert the Bruce’s army – routed around 300 English cavalry on the first day of the battle.

It was previously believed that the stones were positioned more than 3,000 years ago in alignment with an ancient burial ground nearby, and possibly used as landmarks in the battle.”

More here...

heraldscotland.com/news/14994252.___Ancient____standing_stones_are_linked_to_1314_battle/?ref=twtrec

Randolphfield Stones

W
winterjc Nov 14, 2001

I didn’t know these stones existed until about 3 years ago, when I saw them marked on a victorian map. It took me to find out where exactly they were and then when I found them I was uplifted – these stones are less than a mile from my home.
I pass them several times a week now so it’s hard to write about them.
The stones are about 50m apart, sitting on the grass lawn at the front of the Central Scotland Police HQ where they train the alsations. (although naked shamanism is not advised, the site is fully accessible).
Despite being in the middle of the office zone of Stirling, with a main road closeby, there is still an air of peace here.
The stones are sat on a large raised flat shelf area, close to the raised ice age beach, above the Carse of Stirling. When the stones were erected, it is likely that the Carse was boggy, with the stones sat above and to the SW of the Carse, on dry, prime agricultural land. There would have been important views of the crag and tail formations of the Abbey Craig to the NE (Wallace Monument), the castle rock to the N (where the castle and old part of town now sit) and also sweeping views of the Ochil Hills to the N and E.
Much of the visible horizon is now taken up with the surrounding office buildings.
Despite this, Randolphfield is still a special place.
Check out the modern tributes to this pair at the other side of the main road in the front garden of 1 Newhouse, and at the pedestrian precinct in the town centre at the bottom of King Street half a mile to the north.

Folklore

Randolphfield Stones
Standing Stones
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Feb 28, 2011

In the grounds of Randolphfield, in front of the house, are two stones standing in a line from S.W. to N.E. [..] The south-west stone stands 4 ft. above ground. The portion underground measures 2 ft. 5 in. [..] Both stones are pillars of dolerite, of the same material as the pillar stones of the Castle rock, from which place they have apparently been brought. The larger stone shows some marks on it, which have been supposed to be artificial. They are, however, merely the natural joints characteristic of these blocks, such as may be seen on their fellows at the Back Walk.

The local tradition as to the origin and meaning of these stones is well-known. It is thus stated by Nimmo in his History of Stirlingshire, p84 (first edition, 1777):--
“Two stones stand to this day in the field near Stirling, where Randolph, Earl of Murray, and Lord Clifford, the English general, had a sharp rencounter, the evening before the great battle of Bannockburn.”.

From the transactions of the Stirling Natural History and Archaeological Society 1892-3, in an article by A F Hutchison, about ‘The Standing Stones of the District’.

Folklore

Randolphfield Stones
Standing Stones
W
winterjc Nov 14, 2001

These stones are supposed to have played a strategic role on the first day of the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. A Scottish nobleman, Lord Randolph gathered a company of spearmen at the stones, in order to block a move by English cavalry who were trying to reach Stirling Castle from the South.
Other standing stones in the area have been reported to have been used as landmarks before battles. A stone row 5 miles away in Sheriffmuir was used as a gathering point before Wallace’s Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and the Jacobite Battle of Sherriffmuir in 1715. A 15ft standing stone in the grounds of Stirling University is claimed to have been used by the western Gaelic army of Scotland’s first king, Kenneth Macalpin, before the battle with the North Eastern Picts which resulted in the formation of Scotland.

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