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Ben Ledi

879m high mountain in Stirling, Scotland, UK

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 22, 2026
Entity authorityQ816543
Source-derived summary

Ben Ledi (Beinn Leitir in Scottish Gaelic) is a mountain in Stirling, Scotland. It is 878.6 metres (2,883 feet) high, and is therefore classified as a Corbett. It lies about six kilometres (four miles) northwest of Callander, near the village of Kilmahog. It is situated in the Trossachs, an area often regarded as having some of the most romantic scenery in the Highlands.

History

Ben Ledi is particularly well known through Walter Scott's poem Lady of the Lake. Supposedly in ancient times, Beltane rites were observed on the summit. There are what is thought to be possible references to these Beltane rights in some of the Gaelic names on the mountain: Creag Ghorn; "Rock of Embers" and Creag Loisgte; "Burned Rock". In 1791 the Rev Doctor James Robertson, being minister of the parish at the time, was required to write a description of the parish for the First Statistical Account of Scotland. In his report he mistakenly (due to the similarity to le dia) took the name Ben Ledi to mean "hill of god" which suited the purposes of the kirk of the day. The name is in fact a corruption of Beinn Leitir which translates to "the Hill of the Slope", which is a very suitable description of the long south shoulder used to access the summit.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Ben Ledi” as 879m high mountain in Stirling, Scotland, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ledi, 879m and high.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1791—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Ledi, 879m and high providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Ben Ledi”, the useful work is to connect “879m high mountain in Stirling, Scotland, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q816543. Authority coordinates are 56.259, -4.322. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1791.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Ben Ledi”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Ben Ledi primary sources, Ben Ledi archive and Ledi research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ben Ledi”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Ben Ledi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.