Windsor’s Scottish Heritage – Culture – Sports and Games: Stone Put

Windsor’s Scottish Heritage – Culture – Sports and Games: Stone Put

Introduction
History & Immigration
Culture
People
Multimedia
Resources

 

  Print this Page
Religion

Early Christianity & Saints:
St. Andrew
St. Ninian
St. Columba
St. Mungo
The Medieval Church
The Kirk of Scotland
Contemporary Scotland
Local Churches:
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Holidays

Jan. 25: Burns’ Night
Oct. 31: Hallowe’en / Samhain
Nov. 30: St Andrew’s Day
Dec. 31 – Jan. 2: Hogmanay

Languages and Education

Languages:
Standard English
Scots
Scottish Gaelic
Canadian Gaelic
Education:
Education in Scotland
Impact on Canadian Education

The Clan System
Cuisine

History
Haggis
Bannocks
Cock-a-leekie Soup
Stovies
Hot Whisky Toddy

Music and Dance

Pipes
Scottish Society of Windsor Pipe Band
Scottish Country Dance
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
Highland Dance
Highland Dance Videos

Folklore

Sea Creatures:
Selkies, Finfolk, and Mermaids
The Lock Ness Monster
The Hill Folk:
Trows, Changelings, Fairies, and Others
The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan
Other:
Arthurian Legend
The Brahan Seer
Henry Sinclair & the Holy Grail
The Baldoon Mystery
Wild Haggis

Sports and Games

Football (Soccer)
Golf
Curling
Shinty
The Highland Games:
History
Caber Toss
Stone Put
Hammer Toss
Weight Throw
Sheaf Toss
Haggis Toss

Traditional Dress

History of the Kilt
Tartans
Canadian Tartans
Women’s Clothing

Local Festivals & Games
St Andrews Societies

of Windsor
of Detroit

Scottish Club of Windsor

 

Text Size:
S |
M |
L

Culture > Sports and Games > The Highland Games:Stone Put

Culture: Sports and Games
Stone Put:

Stone Put

There are two traditional stories concerning the origin of this ancient sport. Men would hold competitions using two types of
stones to determine who among them was the strongest. The first stone, called the clach cuid fir, or
“manhood stone” weighed over one hundred pounds; men competed to see who could lift it to a certain height or place it on a wall.
The second stone, the clach neart, or “stone of strength”, was much smaller, usually around twenty to
thirty pounds. The contest at which this stone was employed was to see who could throw it the farthest. Supposedly, the stone put
evolved from these two competitions.
All young men needed to take up stone putting was a smooth rock from the river bed. In the past, each gathering had its own
stone, which could vary in weight from Tomintoul’s thirteen pound stone to Braemar’s twenty-eight pound stone. Today there are two
variants of stone putting styles that call for different stones. The “Braemar Stone” weighs between twenty and twenty-six pounds for
men, or between thirteen and eighteen pounds for women, and is thrown from a stand-still. The “Open Stone” is several pounds
lighter (sixteen to twenty-two pounds for men, eight to twelve pounds for women), and can be putted with any style so long as it is
put with one hand and is cradled in the neck until the moment of release.

READ  Windsor's Scottish Heritage - Culture - Sports and Games: Shinty

[ top of page ] [ site map ]

The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and
do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.
Copyright © 2009 Windsor Mosaic Website. All rights reserved

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top