History in the stones

from Lochaber Life #351 January 2023

Free Church makeover

Iain Ferguson What do Glen Roy, Newtonmore, Dalwhinnie, Nairn, Granton on Spey and Balquidder have in common? Firstly, local Strongman Stuart Whyte has visited them all recently and secondly, they all have large ‘lifting’ stones which have served for centuries as a means of keeping the peace and proving the transition to manhood.

As an internationally recognised, award winning champion strongman, Stuart also has a great interest in the origins of his sport, especially in Scotland where specific stones were set aside, often at the boundaries of Clan lands for use in a number of events.

In a long, but almost forgotten tradition young men of a particular area or Clan would gather to test their strength in lifting the stone to shoulder height as a way of proving that they were now men, fit to take on the responsibilities that comes with it in peace and war.

Another role played by the stones has been recorded as solving disputes between neighbouring Clans, where rather than going into battle the matter would be decided in a stone lifting contest in which (hopefully) no one would get hurt. This of course was ultimately a way of resolving issues without wasting the lives of the strongest Clansmen or warriors. Perhaps today’s leaders could learn from this particular piece of history!

Other than these serious uses the stones also played a big part in friendly competition, being a popular event in what we would now call ‘Highland Games”.

Stuart and a few members of his own Iron Therapy Gym in Fort William have been seeking out these stones, often in a remote area of countryside or in some cases, as in Dalwhinnie, lying unrecognised in the hotel care park right beside the main road.

The stone at Dalwhinnie weighs 102kg (16 stones), while the Monachie stone near the grave of the famous Rob Roy MacGregor comes in at 120kg (19 stones), located on a plinth thought to be over 5000 years old the Barevan stone at Nairn, 105kg (16.5 stones), which is also said to have been used for executions, and in Newtonmore a lightweight 101kg (15.9 stones).

Closer to home Glen Roy boasts the heaviest two stones of all at 137 and 133kg (21.5 and 20 stones) which were also the reason Stuart started out on his quest to locate, lift and rekindle interest in this ancient practice.