Walk Among Stones

What's a Bank Holiday Monday about if not for learning more about your local history?

The Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24th July 1411 on a heath just to the north of Inverurie.  It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast.  The battle was fought to resolve competing claims to the Earldom of Ross, a large region of northern Scotland.  Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, had taken control of the earldom as guardian of his niece Euphemia Leslie,  This claim was contested by Donald, Lord of the Isles, who had married Euphemia's aunt Mariota.  Donald invaded Ross with the intention of seizing the earldom by force

First he defeated a large force of Mackays at the Battle of Dingwall.  He captured Dingwall Castle and then advanced on Aberdeen with 10,000 clansmen.  Near Inverurie he was met by 1,000-2,000 of the local gentry, many in armour, hastily assembled by the Earl of Mar.  Amongst the levies from Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire and Angus were townsfolk of Aberdeen led by Provost Robert Davidson.

After a day of fierce fighting there was no clear victor; Donald had lost 900 men before retreating back to the Western Isles, and Mar had lost 600, including Provost Davidson, Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum and Hector Maclean of Duart.  Mar claimed a strategic victory in that Aberdeen was saved, and within a year Alband had recaptured Ross and forced Donald to surrender.

The battle would be remembered as "one of the hardest fought that ever took place on Scottish soil" and the fighting was so fierce that it would go down in history as "Reid (red) Harlaw".

In 1911, Aberdeen Town Council erected the Harlaw Monument, located a couple of miles north of Inverurie (and visible on the A96 road to Inverness), to the memory of Provost Robert Davidson and the Burgesses of Aberdeen that fell in the battle.  Designed by Dr William Kelly the granite monument is hexagonal and 40 feet (12.2m) tall.

Even closer to home - just up our lane in fact - lies the Brandsbutt Stone, a Class 1 Pictish symbol stone.  A large block of whinstone, this standing stone was decorated by the Picts more than 1,400 years ago to relay an important message to travellers on a long-established route.

The serpent and crescent on the stone may declare an important person's name or status, land ownership or tribal allegiance.  They were designed to be seen where a major route between Aberdeenshire and Moray crossed an ancient land boundary.  The stone bears two incised Pictish symbols, a crescent and v-rod and a serpent and z-rod, and an inscription in Ogham, IRATADDOARENS

The symbol stone was probably part of a Bronze Age circle of 12 to 13 standing stones which was excavated in 1983 and is now marked in the grass next to the Brandsbutt Stone.  Sometime before 1866, the circle was destroyed with the stones systematically broken with fire or gunpowder and the pieces reused in dry stone field walls.

The Picts who carved the motifs on the stone and created the stone circle were descendants of ancient Caledonian tribes who ultimately laid the foundations of the medieval Kingdom of the Scots.  Their system of symbols survives on sculptured stone found from Shetland to Fife, with loads around this area we've already examined and more we're sure to go in search of.