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Rocking stones (also known as logan stones or logans) are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. Typically, rocking stones are residual corestones formed initially by spheroidal weathering and have later been exposed by erosion or left by retreating .Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds. (2005) Glossary of Geology (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia, American Geological Institute. 779 pp. Twidale, C.R., and J.R.V. Romani (2005) Landforms and Geology of Granite Terrains. A.A. Balkema Publishers Leiden, The Netherlands. 359 pp. Natural rocking stones are found throughout the world. A few rocking stones might be man-made .
Davies Gilbert suggested that the word "logan" comes from a Cornish language expression for the movement that someone makes when inebriated:
Pliny the Elder (23–79) wrote about a rock near Harpasa (in Caria, Asia Minor) "that can be moved with one finger, but that also resists a push made with the whole body." Pliny: Natural History, Book II: XCVII Ptolemy ( circa 90–168) wrote about the Gygonian rock, which he wrote "can only be moved with an asphodel and remains immovable by force." Photius' Bibliotheca #190: Ptolemy Chennus, New History
There are stones in Iona called na clachan-bràth, within the precincts of a burial ground, and placed on the pedestal of a cross, and have been according to Thomas Pennant, the supports of a tomb.
A massive 90 to 95 ton glacial erratic boulder near Halifax, Nova Scotia, can still be rocked with a lever, but used to move quite easily, before a band of sailors from the nearby Halifax garrison rocked it into a more stable configuration in the 1890s, and before its base was worn down by excessive rocking in the 1980s and '90s when a park was developed around it at Kidston Lake, in the Spryfield area of the municipality. It used to be a popular picnic destination; in Queen Victoria times, people would travel from Halifax, climb upon it and spread their lunches, while enjoying the sensation of rocking gently while seated upon the huge rock.
The Pontypridd Rocking Stone in Wales is set within the middle of a stone circle.
Bosistow Logan Rock is at the head of Pendower Cove (sometimes written as Pendour Cove) near Zennor, Cornwall. It apparently was discovered by an employee of the lord of the local manor whose duty it was to watch the coast. A ship had been wrecked in the cove, and while watching ensuing activity, the employee leaned against a boulder. Suddenly, a gust of wind occurred, and the boulder shifted, or "logged". The longest side of this mass of stone is about , and the circumference of its biggest end is about . It is thought to weigh about 20 tons. A rocking stone is recorded near the site of Saint Bride's Chapel. The Witch's or Boarstone stands on top of the Craigs of Kyle near Coylton in Ayrshire. It weighs around 30 tons and rests upon two or three stones. A large standing stone known as Wallace's stone is recorded to have stood nearby.Paterson, James (1863). History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton. Vol. I. – Kyle. Pub. James Stillie, Edinburgh. pp. 217–218.
A rocking stone is found near Loch Riecawr in South Ayrshire.
In the parish of North Carrick in the Straiton in South Ayrshire, about a quarter of a mile to the west of the White Laise, and near the March Dyke, a rocking stone named the Logan Stone exists. The Logan Stone is a grey granite rock and rests on greywacke, and can easily be moved with one hand. It is by , by high. Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire, John Smith of Dalry, 1895
There is a famous pair of rocking stones on the Faroe Islands island of Eysturoy in the village of Oyndarfjørður. These are known as the Rinkusteinar. Local legend states that an old sorceress cursed two pirate ships that were menacing the village, turning them to stone. A chain connected to the mainland makes it easier to see the rock's movements.
Near Lugar in the Parish of Auchinleck in Ayrshire, Scotland, is the Lamargle or Lamargee rocking stone in a hollow by the Bello or Bellow Water near its junction with the Glenmore Water from which point the name Lugar Water is applied. It is made of two vertical stones, and a horizontal stone about 6 ft long, 3 ft broad, and 4 ft high. It was regarded as a Druid monument or the grave of a Caledonian hero.Currie, Robert. Rocking stone near Lugar. Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers Society. Annals. 1904–1907. p. 23. This stone has often been overlooked, as the OS maps give the wrong location; it sits beside the Bellow Water above its confluence with the Glenmore Water and not on Lamargle Hill.
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Burma is a religious shrine built on top of a huge granite boulder that is also a rocking stone.
Some masses shaped by humans also exhibit similar behaviour (sometimes unintentionally). For example, in the ruins of the Roman temples at Jerash in Jordan (the "city of 1000 pillars"), some massive pillars move back and forth in the slightest breeze. A travel diary from Jordan describing the movement of pillars at Jerash
Ayrshire in Southwest Scotland apparently is endowed with a geology that lends itself towards the formation of rocking stones. Several rocking stones, or stones that used to rock at one time, are there.
A rocking stone that some associate with the Druids is on Cuff Hill in Hessilhead, near Beith in North Ayrshire. It no longer rocks due to people digging beneath to ascertain its fulcrum. Topographical Description of Ayrshire; more Particularly of Cunninghame: together with a Genealogical account of the Principal families in that Bailiwick., George Robertson, Cunninghame Press, Irvine, 1820 It is in a small wood and surrounded by a circular drystone wall. An article was published in the Cumnock Chronicle in 1907 on the reason for the stone being dislodged.
The Thurgartstone near Dunlop in East Ayrshire is thought to have been a rocking stone. However, soil has built up around the base of the Thurgatstone over the years, which now prevents any rocking motion.
A rocking stone existed in 1913–1919 at Sannox on Arran, on a nearly horizontal platform next to the seashore.Allen, Charles A. Arran: Its Charm & Beauty. Kilmarncok Glenfield Ramblers Society. Annals. 1904 – 1907. facing p. 76.
Around 1900 there were rocking stones at Rippon tor, and Sittaford tor on Dartmoor.Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia Vol X, 1922. p6659 Rocking Stone
Oliver Cromwell's soldiers rendered the rocking stone of Pembrokeshire immovable after Mr. Owen had described it. They reportedly destroyed it because they felt it encouraged superstition.
William Stukeley wrote:
William Borlase in his 1754 book Antiquities of Cornwall, claimed that Men Amber was dislodged because:
However, another reason that the Logan Rock of Treen is remembered is that it was the center of a famous drama. In April 1824, Lieutenant Hugh Goldsmith, R. N. (nephew of the famous poet Oliver Goldsmith), and 10 or 12 of his crew of the cutter HMS Nimble, armed with bars and levers, rocked the huge granite boulder until it fell from its cliff-top perch. Goldsmith was apparently motivated to disprove the claim of William Borlase, who wrote in Antiquities of Cornwall in 1754 that:
Goldsmith was determined to demonstrate that nothing was impossible when the courage and skill of British seamen were engaged. The Logan Rock fell and was caught in a narrow chasm.
This upset the local residents considerably, since Logan Rock had been used to draw tourists to the area. Sir Richard Vyvyan (1800–1879) 101 Cornish Lives, Maurice Smelt, was particularly unhappy. They demanded that the British Admiralty strip Lieutenant Goldsmith of his Royal Navy commission unless he restored the boulder to its previous position at his own expense. However, Mr. Davies Gilbert persuaded the Lords of the Admiralty to lend Lieutenant Goldsmith the required apparatus for replacing the Logan Rock. The Admiralty sent 13 capstans with blocks and chains from the dock yard at Plymouth, and contributed £25 towards expenses. Gilbert also raised more funds. After months of effort, at 4:20 pm on 2 November 1824, in front of thousands of spectators and with the help of more than 60 men and block and tackle, the Logan Rock was finally repositioned and returned to "rocking condition".Michell, John (1974). The Old Stones of Land's End. Garnstone Press. . p. 78. Apparently, the total final cost of this enterprise was £130 8s 6d. However, it is not clear how much of the remaining £105 Goldsmith had to make up out of his own pocket.
For some time after, the rock was kept chained and padlocked, but eventually these restrictions were removed, and the rock was set free. However, it apparently no longer vibrates or "logs" as easily as it did before.
Tourism dropped, and this was blamed on the condition of Logan Rock. For a while, Treen was nicknamed 'Goldsmith's Deserted Village'.
Another famous rock structure, Lanyon Cromlech, was knocked down during a thunderstorm in 1815. The same machinery that was used to restore the Logan Rock in Treen was successful in repositioning Lanyon Cromlech.
The rocking stone near Nancledra in Cornwall was said to only move at midnight when witches were out. People claimed that if one touched the rocking stone nine times at midnight, one would turn into a witch.
The Brimham rocking stone in Yorkshire is said to rock only for the efforts of an honest man.Hippisley Coxe, Antony D. (1973). Haunted Britain. Pub. Hutchinson. . p. 21.
The rocking stone at Land's End was said to have been placed there by a giant who used it to rock himself to sleep.
It was claimed that the Logan Rock in Treen could cure childhood diseases. The children were rocked on the Logan Stone in certain seasons. People say that the charm was broken when Lieutenant Goldsmith dislodged the Logan Stone.
It is a Cornish tradition to make a vow and then attempt to move a rocking stone, or logan rock. It was said that no persons with treachery in their hearts could make a rocking stone move.
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