Granny Kempock Stone

Archaeological place

Explorer Tom

Above Gourock's Kempock Point stands a stone with the name Granny Kempock and the air of somebody who knows what you did on your last voyage. It is a real prehistoric standing stone, not a relative waiting to scold you, though sailors and newlyweds treated her with respect. Historic Environment Scotland records the stone as roughly 1.8 metres high, inside modern railings on a cliff above the Clyde. A Bronze Age origin is presumed rather than firmly dated. Its stooped outline inspired the nickname, and old local accounts describe sailors seeking good fortune before departure and couples circling it for luck. Those stories do not prove it was an ancient altar. Tom, however, would probably ask Granny's blessing before attempting to navigate a bath toy across the harbour. Inverclyde Council's archaeology record notes carved marks and initials, a reminder that later people left their own signatures on an older monument. It also preserves the troubling story of Mary Lamont, executed for witchcraft in 1662, and a tale that she had plotted to throw the stone into the sea. Keep the documented death separate from the uncertain folklore around the stone. The monument has stood through changing streets, cliff paths and fashions, acquiring a small town's worth of stories without budging much itself. Granny is visible from the public walkway by Kempock Street, behind her protective railings. Enjoy the view from there; do not climb the fence or approach the cliff edge for a closer photograph. Give the old stone a nod if you like, then go discover Gourock without asking her to predict the weather.

What is recorded here

Map note: Look up Granny Kempock Stone, an ancient site near Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland. See what else is recorded around this spot before making up the rest.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n4496947930

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