Stone Age

The earliest indicators of man being in our area from an early age are the standing stones or ring cairns immediately to the west of New Portlethen. We have five of these around us; Aquhorthies, Cairnwell, Craighead, Auchlee and Old Boutreebush, a sure sign that man was alive and kicking here in ancient times.

It’s perhaps difficult to pinpoint an exact date for these standing stones but they are likely to have been here from Middle Neolithic times or the Bronze Age which would date them to any time between 3500 – 500 BC. That’s a long time ago and their existence is proof that man was going about his business in the Portlethen area over 4000 ago years at least. 

From the time of the construction of these stone circles to the point where people began to read and write there is a huge gap without any information for us to understand what was going on. We can only assume that the local population went about their business in the usual manner that was appropriate to the times which they lived in. Lots of murder, rape and pillage then!