The Stone o' Scar is an enormous lump of stone that now lies near the house of Scar on the north island of Sanday.

Also known as the Saville Stone, the stone originally lay one mile away from its present position, in a field known as Coos Moo, on land belonging to the house of Saville.

Local tradition tells us that the stone landed there after being thrown from the island of Eday by an irate witch whose daughter had eloped to Sanday with her lover. It would appear however that the witch's aim was slightly off as the fleeing couple survived.

The idea of a witch or giant positioning the many prominent stones in Orkney was a common one and we have another example of this in the monolith known as the Fingersteen on the island of Rousay. For more on this motif, click here.

Between 1879 and 1880, the 14 ton rock was moved at great expense from Coos Moo to Scar with the intention of positioning the stone close by the house as a landscape feature. Unfortunately the cart transporting it broke under the load and the stone was abandoned, remaining where it fell to this day. Apparently parts of the abandoned cart were still visible well into this century.

The mansion house of Scar, visible in the background of the picture, has accrued its own folklore. Local lore tells us that the house is haunted by the "Black Wife".