A recumbent stone and surviving uprights preserve the recognisable form of a north-east Scottish stone-circle tradition near modern Dyce.
Quick facts
- Date
- Neolithic or Early Bronze Age; scheduled 1925
- Architect / designer
- Prehistoric community unknown
- Type
- Recumbent stone circle
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM22)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 85950 13212
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Granite stones define the remains of a recumbent circle, with a large horizontal stone framed by standing flankers. Other stones have fallen or shifted and the ring survives unevenly within its ground setting.
Its story
A prehistoric community created the circle for purposes that remain debated. Antiquarian recording and later national scheduling preserved evidence for a monument also known as Tyrebagger or Standing Stones of Dyce.
Why it is included
The early scheduling recognises a regionally distinctive recumbent stone circle whose surviving stones, plan and below-ground deposits contribute to understanding prehistoric ritual and landscape organisation.
What to notice
- The horizontal recumbent stone.
- Flankers that frame the recumbent setting.
- Fallen stones and the surviving curve of the ring.
Reading the surroundings
Do not assume access across fields or woodland. Follow lawful routes, close gates, avoid livestock and never climb, move, chalk, rub or place objects on the stones.
Timeline
- Prehistoric period Communities arranged granite blocks as a recumbent stone circle.
- 1900s Photographs and measured accounts documented the surviving stones.
- 1925 The monument entered the national schedule for legal protection.
- 1970 An amended schedule retained protection as recording standards changed.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The original number and precise positions of every stone, the construction date and the monument’s intended ceremonies remain uncertain.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Standingstones Recumbent Stone Circle, SM22 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove: Tyrebagger and the Standing Stones of Dyce — National archive identity, alternative names, plan information and historic photographic record.
- Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums: The Standing Stones of Dyce — Local museum photographic record made before 1918.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 85950 13212 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; the public text separately states access and any current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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