A Bronze Age Cairn & Cist.
This Bronze Age Cairn and Cist is the second site in Meigle to have a story that connects it with the Scottish King, Macbeth (see Macbeth’s Stone entry, which is nearby).
Although recorded history tells us that Macbeth was slain at the Battle of Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire, the version of the story linked to Belliduff claims otherwise.
One account of it was written in 1885 by the Rev J.G. Macpherson:
“In the enclosures of the castle there is a tumulus called Belliduff, which tradition gives as the spot where, in 1056, Macbeth was killed in battle by Macduff. Taking the most reliable facts out of the mass of fiction, we see that Macbeth, after murdering King Duncan, was crowned King; but this soon roused up the revengeful ire of Malcolm, Duncan’s son, who was heartily assisted by the English King, Edward the Confessor. The English forces marched as far north as Dunsinane, one of the Sidlaws, where they had a furious hand-to-hand conflict with Macbeth, who commanded his troops in person. After many displays of courage Macbeth was obliged to retreat; and tradition fixes Belliduff as a likely place where Macduff, Thane of Fife, to gratify personal revenge, slew the King in single combat”
