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Brandsbutt Stone is a Pictish symbol stone of the early medieval period, dating to approximately the 6th to 8th centuries AD. The monument stands in Aberdeenshire and bears carved symbols characteristic of Pictish art, including Class I symbol stones that display non-figurative designs incised into the stone surface. The stone's precise function remains debated among scholars, though symbol stones are generally understood to have served significant ritual, territorial, or commemorative purposes within Pictish society. As one of many such monuments scattered across northeastern Scotland, Brandsbutt Stone contributes to the archaeological and cultural record of the Picts, a people whose written history is fragmentary and whose symbolic language continues to invite scholarly interpretation.
Brandsbutt Stone, symbol stone is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90039. View the official record →
Brandsbutt Stone is a Pictish symbol stone of the early medieval period, dating to approximately the 6th to 8th centuries AD. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90039.
Brandsbutt Stone, symbol stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90039.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle of Hallforest (7.2 km), Tuach Hill, stone circle and enclosure 130m SW of Gallow Top (7.8 km), Aberdeenshire Canal, remains of, NW of Brae of Kintore (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Brandsbutt Stone, symbol stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Brandsbutt Stone, symbol stone stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.