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Reconstructed recumbent stone circle, circa 15 m in diameter, and comprising a recumbent, two flankers and 7 other stones of local grey granite. Strichen is first mentioned by Dr Johnson who visited with James Boswell, in 1773 at which time it stood in woodland. Johnson was apparently not inspired, reporting that he had seen 'some stones yet standing of a druidical circle, and what I began to think more worthy of notice some forest trees of full growth.'. All of the stones except the recumbent and its flankers were pulled down by a tenant farmer in 1830. Mr Fraser, later Lord Lovat, the landowner was furious at this destruction and ordered them to be replaced, but this was done wrongly, the circle being re-erected to the south of the recumbent. A landscaped earthen bank was built around this new ring. In 1960 all of the stones were removed. The recumbent and flankers were replaced but subsequently taken away during tree-felling operations in 1965. Excavations of the site were carried out between 1979 and 1982, begun by Dr Aubrey Burl and continued by Hampsher-Monk and Abramson. These revealed that the recumbent and flankers (still in their original positions) originally lay on the southern side of a stone circle which was probably built in the Early Bronze Age. The monoliths of the stone circle were set in a rubble bank. A rubble cairn was constructed on the inside of the circle, and two stone-lined graves are also associated with this phase. Quartz, flints and sherds of prehistoric pottery were discovered during the excavation. The cremation of a woman lay within the prehistoric bank to the north east of the recumbent. Several hammer stones and rubbing stones were found along with a cup and ring marked stone with six cups in total (now in Strichen Library) which was buried in a small stone-lined pit on the northern periphery of the central area. Excavations revealed that a roundhouse like structure and a timber circle were constructed in the Early Iron Age within the Early Bronze Age monument. After excavation the stones were replaced in their original positions and the circle reconstructed. The smaller stones of up to one ton were skidded into place by the team on pine poles covered in straw.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)