Beheading Stone
Stirling, Scotland
Legend says this rock was once a chopping block for public executions.
Beheading Stone. SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
View from Gowan Hill. SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Stone plaque. SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Executioner's Cloak, Stirling Museum SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Executioner's Axe, Stirling Museum SEANETTA (Atlas Obscura User)
Top Places in Stirling
Grave Robbing Headstone
Martyrs' Memorial
Wolf Craig
High up on a hill, overlooking the River Forth with views of the Wallace Monument and surrounding vistas stands a chunk of stone with a dark past. Origins of the stone remain unknown. According to local legend, the stone was used for beheadings in the 15th-century.
The stone stands atop a place in Stirling, Scotland, that's also called "Mote Hill" or more appropriately named "The Heading Hill," a spot where an ancient Pictish Fort once stood. Over time, this area became the place where King James I would have his enemies dispatched. Beheadings were specifically reserved for individuals found guilty of committing treason. Most notably was that of Murdoch, Duke of Albany in 1425, the grandson of King Robert II, founder of the Stewart Dynasty.
Today, the stone no longer serves as a chopping block. It's covered by a metal cage and rests on a large, white, circular pillar with a metal plaque reading; "Beheading Stone, Protected by the Public at the Insistence of the Stirling National History & Archaeological Society 1887." There is an information placard nearby, as well as a couple of cannons. A wooden block would be placed on top and holes can be seen in the stone where this would have been secured.
Retributive justice was eventually moved to Mercat Cross and the Tolbooth, Broad Street.
The stone is a 15-to-20-minute walk from Stirling Castle and can be reached via the Back Walk footpath or from Crofthead Road. Though it is accessible 24 hours a day, it is not recommended at night or in foul weather. There is evidence that people use the surrounding area as a "party scene" and the walk up to it can be quite hazardous.
Scotland: Highland Clans and the Trail of Tartan
execution objects of intrigue legends rocks geology history
SEANETTA
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/scotland/stirling/attractions/beheading-stone/a/poi-sig/1267435/360621
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mote_Hill
http://www.instirling.com/sight/gowan.htm
https://electricscotland.com/history/stirlingshire/StirlingMerchantsGuide021TheBeheadingStone.pdf
33 Crofthead Rd
Gowan Hill
The Star Pyramid
It's said this was once the home of King James V's pet lion.
This pyramid is dedicated to all those who suffered martyrdom for civil and religious liberty in Scotland.
A striking glass tribute to two sisters who suffered during Scotland's "Killing Time."
A grave marker depicting a body snatching tableau on a 19th-century tombstone.
České Budějovice, Czechia
Stray Boulder (Bludný Kámen)
Locals say the stone that marks the spot where the gallows once stood can lead you astray.
Cornwall, England
The Merry Maidens
Perhaps the only prehistoric monument with its very own public bus stop.
Idar-Oberstein, Germany
Felsenkirche (Crag Church)
A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany's gemstone capital.
Blaxhall, England
The Blaxhall Stone
Blaxhall's burgeoning boulder can't help putting on a few extra stones.