© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Stone Lud is a Bronze Age standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn situated 240 metres west-south-west of Ludstone Cottage in Caithness, Scotland. The monument stands upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. This geological foundation provides the local stone from which the monument's components were likely constructed.
The site comprises three distinct elements typical of Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments in northern Scotland. The standing stone and recumbent stone, placed in relationship to one another, would originally have been accompanied by a cairn of stacked stone. Such configurations served ceremonial and commemorative functions, often marking burial or ritual sites within Bronze Age communities.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM487, recognising its archaeological and cultural significance. This designation ensures the preservation of the standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn as physical evidence of Bronze Age settlement and ritual practice in Caithness, a region rich in prehistoric stone monuments.
Stone Lud, standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m WSW of Ludstone Cottage is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM487. View the official record →
Stone Lud is a Bronze Age standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn situated 240 metres west-south-west of Ludstone Cottage in Caithness, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM487.
Stone Lud, standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m WSW of Ludstone Cottage dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m wsw of ludstone cottage. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stone Lud, standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m WSW of Ludstone Cottage 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 SM487.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Oslie, chambered cairn 250m S of Lynegar House (4.9 km), Grey Cairn, broch 475m SE of Lynegar (5.2 km), Chapel of Dunn, chapel, 300m SW of Oldhall House (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone Lud, standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m WSW of Ludstone Cottage'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.
Stone Lud, standing stone, recumbent stone and cairn 240m WSW of Ludstone Cottage stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.