page_title: Cattle rubbing stone
section_title: Structure
hierarchical_section_title: Cattle rubbing stone / Structure
caption_attribution_description: English: The Drybridge Menhir from the north, North Ayrshire, Scotland
context_page_description: A cattle rubbing stone is a stone allowing cattle to rub their skin without causing damage to field infrastructure such as fences and posts, or natural features such as trees. They were once a common sight in pastures in Britain, but many have since been removed to accommodate the needs of modern farming practices. Cattle are depicted on Pictish stones such as the Fowlis Wester stone; however, the requirement for rubbing stones mainly relates to the enclosure of fields in the late 18th century that held cattle within a confined area.
  A claw-scrunt in Scots is a tree or tree stump used by cattle to rub themselves against.
context_section_description: Cattle rubbing stones need to be well dug into the ground and/or packed with stones and have also to be made of hard stone types that can withstand the considerable weight and strength of cattle. They can often be distinguished from megaliths such as standing stones by having angular edges showing that they have been cleaved during quarrying rather than be glacial erratics or from other natural sources. Some stones may show drill marks from the quarrying process. The shape is based on the need for appropriate height and strength without occupying too much space. The use of Ordnance Survey maps from different years may show that the stones were installed by farmers and they may marked as 'Rubbing stones'.
caption: The Drybridge standing stone that is not made from a suitable stone to have been installed as a rubbing stone.
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