The Piper's Stane is a short rectangular stump set in a paved circle on the old village green area of Dirleton in East Lothian, on the West side of Dirleton Castle.
The Piper's Stane and Dirleton Green from the South
Dirleton itself lies along the North side of the A198 between Gullane and North Berwick. Click here for a location map provided by StreetMap.
No doubt due to its depleted condition, the stone itself has rather obscure origins and is variously described as having been a pillar, a cross, or a standing stone. Given its position at the centre of the old village, it is possible that it was formerly the market cross, but no record of its actual original state or function appears to be available.
The Piper's Stane from the West
Local tradition names it The Piper's Stane, although this probably reflects a later association than any solid connection with its origin. Perhaps significantly, another piper legend exists within the grounds of the immediately adjacent Dirleton Castle. There, a square hole in a room within the castle is said to have originally been the entrance to a secret passage leading to Craigs Woods. The legend is that a piper once disappeared in the passage, playing his pipes until they faded into the distance, never to be seen again.
The Piper's Stane from the South
In the nineteenth century, it was described as being three feet high and triangular, but currently, is reduced to less than a foot, and is roughly rectangular.