BILL McALLISTER: Does our iconic talisman the Clachnacuddin Stone deserve more prominence?
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IT is the historic focal point of Inverness’s identity but is now almost unseen having been set in a ring of granite for protection because in a different era so many exiles and souvenir-hunters would eagerly chip off a piece of the Clachnacuddin Stone.
It was regarded as the burgh’s Stone of Destiny and Sir Walter Scott was among those referring to Invernessians as “sons of Clachnacuddin”. Yet today, many stroll past without knowing it is there.
It was once considerably larger but is now some 36 inches by 32 inches and next year will be the 70th anniversary of it being embedded at the base of the Mercat Cross, in front of Inverness Town House, where only the stone's smooth top can be seen.
On the granite circle that forms the base is inscribed “Clach Na Cudainn”, the stone’s real name, long since Anglicised. It means ‘Stone of the Tubs’ because it was sited beside the river and washerwomen, or water collectors, would rest their jugs or tubs on it, beat their washing against it and chat together.
Another theory is that the name denotes an ancient religious dimension – just as Clackmannan takes its name from “stone of the monks” – and that it may have been a standing stone.
Architectural historian Edward Meldrum, past president of Inverness Field Club, wrote 40 years ago: “Clachnacuddin may possibly have had a prehistoric origin as a standing stone or part of a stone circle, with pagan religious significance.”
It is thought that it is Inverness’s charter stone, from the days before paper when monarchs or lords would mark a grant of land to individuals or communities with a charter stone rather than a vellum charter. Such stones offered permanence and were harder to steal.
Charter stones existed in Ireland, Wales and London, with the Stone of Scone being regarded as Scotland’s charter stone, hence its comparison to Clachnacuddin.
Did our stone always stand in front of what is now the Town House, or was it moved at some point from the riverside? Certainly, what is now Bridge Street is known as being a path the washerwomen took to and from the Ness, so it could be in more or less its original location.
The stone stood on what became the Exchange, the large space in front of the Town House which was a public forum and meeting place. It was there that Clachnacuddin, set in a frame and bound in iron, became the Inverness icon.
It was regarded as having special powers, including bringing good luck to those who touched it, which led to slivers of the stone being taken. Pieces ended up in Australia or the US, taken by or sent to Invernessians living there.
Exiles referred to themselves as “Clachnacuddin Boys” and in 1886 when a chap called Donald Simpson formed a new football club to play on ground at the Carse, he and his colleagues agreed to call it Clachnacuddin FC.
When, in 1796, road works meant the stone required to be moved a couple of yards, the council placing it underneath the nearby Forbes Fountain, newly gifted by Dr George Forbes of Millburn.
There, Clachnacuddin remained in open sight but the price of accessibility meant it was damaged as well as having pieces taken. If it is now three feet high, up to half its original dimension may have disappeared.
In 1953, when road widening meant the end
of the Exchange, the safety of the stone was a key reason why it took its
place beneath the 10-feet high cross, which had been designed by architect J Hinton Gall in 1900 to replace a much older one.
The fountain was relocated to Ladies Walk, being sadly damaged and depleted in the process.
The belief was that as long as the stone was preserved, Inverness would flourish, and arguably it has. The absence of much of its visibility has seen Clachnacuddin fade from local memory.
With modern technology, couldn’t we have the stone encased in ultra-tough glass so that folk could see again Inverness’s icon, giving it renewed relevance?
n Sponsored by Ness Castle Lod
