Rest And Be Thankful Memorial Stone, Glen Croe

A small granite memorial stone set at the summit of Glen Croe, the Rest And Be Thankful Stone is listed for its value as a monument to the history of the important 18th century Dumbarton-Inverary military road.

DESCRIPTION

The granite stone, standing approximately 2 feet high, is round-headed; it has a raised margin to one face. This face bears the inscription

REST & BE THANKFUL

MILITARY ROAD REPD

BY 93RD REGT 1768

TRANSFERRED TO

COMMRS FOR H.R.& B

IN THE YEAR 1814

The stone commemorates the transfer of responsibility for the road from the military to the Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges.

This section of the road was constructed between 1747 and 1749, under the overall direction of Major William Caulfield. The majority of the work was carried out by a workforce of up to 450 soldiers in addition to civilian workmen and contractors for more specialist tasks such as bridge building.

The present stone replaces an earlier one which is thought to have been inscribed 'Rest, and Be Thankful / This road was made, in 1748, by the / 24the regiment / Lord Ancram, Colonel / Duroure, Major / Repaired by the 93rd Regiment, 1768'. The whereabouts of this stone is no longer known. The earlier stone has been described as being set into a turf seat. The present stone, although it may have been subject to small repositionings over the years, is likely to remain on or very close to, its original position at the side of the military road, which became known as the A83. In the 1930s, the route of the road was altered in several places, including the head of Glen Croe, and so the stone marks the path of the original road rather than the modern deviation which bypasses it to the North East.