Granny Kempock Stone
Encyclopedia
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
. The stone, or menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
, is grey mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and of indeterminate origin, but it has been suggested that it is an old altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
to the pagan god Baal
Baal
Baʿal is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor, cognate to Akkadian Bēlu...
, or a memorial to an ancient battle. Supposedly there is a superstition that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune. A flight of steps winds up to the stone from Kempock Street below.
There is also an association with witchcraft. In 1662 Mary Lamont and a group of other local women were burned to death in the local area after it was alleged that she and her coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
had danced around the stone on the sabbath, with the intention of cursing and sinking shipping that passed through the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
by casting the long-stone into the sea.
A decorative iron archway sits above the passageway leading up to the stone.
A number of markings exist on the stone. Some of these appear to be 17th-19th century graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
and most are obviously initials. Alongside some of these initials are some as yet unexplained symbols or markings which resemble modern-day navigation marks. These may be Mason's mark
Mason's mark
A mason's mark is a symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures.-In stonemasonry:Scottish rules issued in 1598 stated that on admission to the guild, every mason had to enter his name and his mark in a register....
s but it is unclear why someone would claim artistry on an irregularly shaped piece of stone with no apparent working unless of course it originally formed part of a larger structure, perhaps nearby Gourock Castle. There is also a 2 cm hole at the bottom of the stone. It is not known if this hole is goes all the way through the stone but if it does this could point to the stone having been moved at some point or used as perhaps an anchor stone or counterweight. Given the stone's current location it has been suggested that the stone's original location may have been elsewhere.
A 1987 children's TV series Shadow of the Stone
Shadow of the Stone
Shadow of the Stone was a 1987 UK children's TV drama series, starring Shirley Henderson. Written by Catherine Lucy Czerkawska, it dramatises a spiritual connection between a modern teenager and 17th-century girl, Mary Lamont, who was allegedly tried for witchcraft. Scenes were filmed in and around...
written by Catherine Lucy Czerkawska dramatises the witchcraft element starring Shirley Henderson
Shirley Henderson
Shirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
in the role of a young girl who has some kind of spiritual connection with Mary Lamont. Scenes were filmed in and around Gourock.
In "Notes about Gourock", published 1880, Reverend D. Macrae writes..
A Bronze Age standing stone dating from about 2000bc.
This is the famous 'Lang Stane' of Gourock, more familiarly spoken of as 'Granny Kempock'...It is
supposed that the Kempock Stone marks the site in Druid times of an altar to Baal...
However that may be, The Kempock Stane was for many centuries an object of superstitious awe and reverence...Marriages in the District were
not regarded as lucky unless the wedded pair passed round the 'lang stane', and obtained in this way Granny Kempock's blessing...
It was chiefly in connection with the winds and sea that the Kempock Stane was regarded with superstitious dread...sailors and fishermen were
we... to take a basketful of sand from the shore and walk seven times round Granny Kempock, chanting a weird song to insure for themselves a safe and prosperous voyage."
