Located on the west edge of the Braids on Braid Road on the south side of Edinburgh stands the Buck Stane, a probable prehistoric standing stone. The stone gives its name to Buckstone, a popular residential area in the suburbs of the city. However the origins of the stone are likely to be ancient and linked to local folklore.
A plaque located on the wall above the ‘Buck Stane’ states ‘This march stone, a relic of feudal times, occupied a commanding site on the old Roman Road about 250 yards north from this spot. By tradition the name was derived from the stone having marked the place where the Buckhounds were unleashed when the King of Scotland hunted in this region’.
This tradition may suggest that the land around Buckstone, possible across the Braids and up into the Pentlands, was a favoured location for hunting by members of the Royalty back into the medieval period.
According to Canmore (National Record of the Historic Environment) the site is classified as ‘Standing Stone (Prehistoric)’. A second site is listed on Canmore approximately 250 yards north of the ‘Buck Stane’ which is the approximate original location of the stone. This second site was the find spot of approximately a dozen stone axes of probable prehistoric date. A hoard of axes of this kind could indicate that the site had ritual significance in the prehistoric period and a standing stone may have functioned as a boundary marker.
Colm Moloney 