Clach na Coileach, or the Cockstane, is a large glacial erratic lying on the west side of the A93 in Glenshee, south of Finegand. The boulder, seen here surrounded by grass, bracken, shrubs and trees, bears a commemorative plaque and is the historic gathering place of Clan MacThomas, whose association with Glenshee dates from the 15th century.
The Gaelic place-name Clach na Coileach is recorded on the 1867 Ordnance Survey six-inch map as Clach a' Choilich and is generally translated as "Stone of the Cock". Various traditions explain the name. One tells of a cockerel crowing from the boulder and warning the MacThomas clansmen of an approaching raiding party; another relates how a cockerel, recovered from tax collectors by the clan chief McComie Mòr, flew onto the stone and crowed.
The site remains associated with Clan MacThomas and was transferred to the Clan MacThomas Society in 1970 to preserve the clan's historic gathering place.
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