Scheduled MonumentsScotlandFour Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of
Bronze Age · Standing stone

Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of

Scotland
HES SM12112
Period
Bronze Age
Site type
Standing stone
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Four Braehead Cottages standing stone is a Bronze Age monument located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated 195 metres south-east of Four Braehead Cottages. The stone stands upon bedrock of the Argyll Group, a Neoproterozoic formation comprising psammite, semipelite and pelite rocks that underlie much of this region. These metamorphic strata, originally laid down as sediments over 600 million years ago, were subsequently altered by intense heat and pressure during the Caledonian mountain-building period. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under designation SM12112.

Standing stones of Bronze Age date are among Scotland's most enduring monuments, often erected during the period from around 2500 to 1500 BC. Their precise original purposes remain debated amongst archaeologists, though they frequently marked burial sites, territorial boundaries, or ceremonial locations within Bronze Age communities. The hard metamorphic rocks of the local Argyll Group would have provided suitable stone for monument construction, though Bronze Age communities typically selected the most impressive natural boulders from their immediate landscape.

This stone represents an important record of Bronze Age settlement and ritual practice in Aberdeenshire, a region rich in prehistoric monuments. The survival of such standing stones testifies to their substantial construction and the considerable effort invested by Bronze Age societies in creating permanent markers within the landscape.

Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12112. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of?

Four Braehead Cottages standing stone is a Bronze Age monument located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated 195 metres south-east of Four Braehead Cottages. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12112.

What period does Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of date from?

Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of?

Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of 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 SM12112.

What other scheduled monuments are near Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brandsbutt Stone, symbol stone (7 km), Stoneyhill, cairn 195m WSW of (7.1 km), Caskieben moat, moated site and symbol stone 170m N of Keith Hall (7.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of

Four Braehead Cottages, standing stone 195m SE of stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.