Scottish Blog

Thurgarstone was a famous rocking stone in Dunlop, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Beyond its large size, there is nothing out of the ordinary in the appearance of Thurgarstone. At first it appears nothing more than a large stone set in the ground, its visible section measures twelve by eight feet in size. Although with its buried section it is estimated to weigh close to twenty five tonnes. On closer inspection the Thurgarstone is not made of local stone but blue augitic porphyrite, it is thought to have been brought here by glacial action.

Presently, the most impressive aspect of Thurgarstone can no longer be witnessed. It is said that the Thurgarstone was at one point a rocking stone. Due to its unique formation the entire twenty five thousand tonne mass of the stone could be shifted with one hand. This seemingly supernatural action led to the belief that the stone was a central point for witchcraft and other magical activity. The belief led to a number of attempts to find the fulcrum of the stone to explain its rocking. These excavations combined with weather erosion led to the stone no longer being able to rock. The superstitions surrounding the stone itself continued even after it had stopped rocking. It is said that Catholic monks were forced to crawl around the stone on their knees saying “O thou grit stane”. Local farmers would also not work the ground within vicinity of the stone, so as not to disturb the druidic graveyard which they believed lay there.