Beltane Stone was used in early Celtic times as a place for worship & festivities..

A local amateur archaeologist has now found the location where the stone is – by using the latest Google map & comparing it to older maps from the 1500′s.

Below you can read a series of emails with all the details.

—–Original Message—–
From: Rob
To: StMaryintheField <<a”mailto:StMaryintheField@aol.com”>StMaryintheField@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Sep 5, 2014 3:41 pm
Subject: Beltane Stone (sent by contact form at St Mary in the Fields Church)
Name: Rob
Subject: Beltane Stone
Message: Hi there
I thought you might be interested to know that using your own webpage I’ve done a little detective work and believe that the Beltane Stone shown on the 16th century map is actually located in the playground of Smithton Primary School.
http://www.stmaryinthefields.co.uk/church-inverness-history/
I scaled the map to overlay the current Google Maps, using the coastline as a guide and the stone overlays the entrance road to the school.
I can email you the photos if you’re interested to know more…
kind regards
Rob
On 9 September 2014 12:26, <stmaryinthefield@aol.com> wrote:
Hi Rob,
Many thanks for this information, we were never 100% sure where this Beltane stone was, and I ‘assumed’ that the bloodied Prisoners Stone in the nearby forest fitted the bill, with it being flat on top & may have been used as a pagan altar.
I have seen the huge boulder at Smithton school too. Both of these glacial boulders would not have been moved about in early medieval times due to their weight.
Some folk in our church reckon that the Beltane stone was closer to Culloden Academy, but mysteriously disappeared.
I would be quite pleased to see your emailed photos and calculations, we only had an “olde mappe” to go on in our studies and its coastline was drawn during a time when compasses and distances were not very accurate.
kind regards
Colin Mansfield
Church Secretary.
—–Original Message—–
From: Rob
To: stmaryinthefield <stmaryinthefield@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Sep 9, 2014 12:32 pm
Subject: Re: Beltane Stone (sent by contact form at St Mary in the Fields Church)
Hi Colin
Thanks for your reply.
I’m very familiar with the stones in the grounds of Smithton Primary, as I used to play on them many years ago when I attended school there.
From memory the larger one used to be referred to as the Cuckoo Stone, although I’m not sure why…
As you’ll see from my attached files the coastline seems to be surprisingly accurate – certainly accurate enough that I was able to use it to superimpose the two maps together without doing any fancy scaling.
You’ll notice that even some of the watercourses map on to each other very neatly indeed.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
kind regards
Rob
Re: Beltane Stone (sent by contact form at St Mary in the Fields Church)
stmaryinthefield to Rob
Hi Rob,
Many thanks again, we will have to update our St Mary-in-the-Fields website with your findings, if that’s ok with you.
We could put an acknowledgement on for you too.
If you are passing our church, open the gate, and in the grounds we have a large ‘doorstep’ stone that was discovered on the old site of the original St Mary’s Chapel close to Balloch.
A local archaeologist examined it but it didn’t bear any inscription either side. It was transported to our church early on this year, providing a link with the past to the new. It took 4 men to lift it to its final position.
I wonder if Smithton Primary school realise the significance of what they have in their school’s play area? I bet they wouldn’t be happy. Perhaps MayEve activities might be a bit too frightening.
Kind regards
Colin Mansfield.
Re: Beltane Stone (sent by contact form at St Mary in the Fields Church)
Rob
Hi Colin
Yes, that’s fine with me – obviously you’ll need to source a copyright-free map if you want to show the old and new together.
I’ll bear that in mind the next time I’m in the vicinity of the church – nice to retain some links to the past like that.
It’s maybe best not to mention it to the school…
kind regards, Rob
copyright being sought via Google maps ~ Webmaster.