Cattle rubbing stone

A Highland cow rubbing its head on a piece of stone in a pasture
Rubbing stone showing churned up soil and lack of vegetation caused by the cattle, with a visible polished effect

A cattle rubbing stone (or clawin post in Scots[1]) 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.[2] They were once a common sight in pastures in Britain, but many have since been removed to accommodate the needs of modern farming practices.[3] Cattle are depicted on Pictish stones such as the Fowlis Wester stone;[4] 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.[5]

A claw-scrunt in Scots is a tree or tree stump used by cattle to rub themselves against.[6]

  1. ^ "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: clawin post".
  2. ^ Brown, p.43
  3. ^ Cannahars rubbing stone on Canmore
  4. ^ "Fowlis Wester Sculptured Stone Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk.
  5. ^ Grigson, p.147
  6. ^ "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: clawscrunt".