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Pictish Symbol Stones - Physical Locations

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Pictish Symbol Stones - Physical Locations Pictish Symbol Stones - Physical Locations The majority of the Pictish Symbol Stones are currently outdoors and in very visible locations. Some have been moved away from their original positions but are nearby - often free-standing, sometimes built into a wall of a building, placed in a shelter or taken indoors for physical protection (for example into a church). Others can be seen still in their original, more open locations such as fields, farms and stone circles. Those in museums and public buildings give added exposure to a wide range of people to enjoy, wonder and study. These pages record the places where Symbol Stones carved with whole, partially broken or fragments of Celtic, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian objects were found and where they are now; some are still in their original location. This PDF should be read in conjunction with “Physical Locations of the Symbol Stones”. Features of Physical Locations have prompted grouping of the Stones as follows: Church interior / foundations / wall On a barrow or tumulus Churchyard / graveyard Long cist capstone cover Church or chapel nearby Over a low rectangular cairn Manse Side of irregular cist Stone circle - part of or nearby Covering an inhumation burial In a field Cover of a cist-like structure In or by a farm Near a long cist In a garden By / near water In foundations of buildings In water From a dyke In a raised or open area Near a broch Some notes on the listings Each entry below is marked up with its RCAHMS1 site number. Some Stones are listed in more than one grouping e.g. “Churchyard/graveyard” and “By/near Water”. Association with any Saint is included in the entry - detailed in the Saints & Stones PDF. The “Class” categorisation used in the listings is based on that formulated by Allen and Anderson2 with the addition of this author’s references to specific beliefs so that: Class 1 are the initial, or early, incised Stones with either or both Celtic and Pictish- Mithraic Symbols and no Christian crosses, Class 2 are in the “transition” between Pictish-Mithraic and Christian beliefs with both Symbol and Cross carvings and Class 3 are not “Symbol Stones” as such having clearly Christian carvings only. There are no clearly Class 3 Stones in these listings. Belief combinations Combinations of Celtic, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian beliefs are explored in the Belief Combinations - Investigations section of this website. When any two, or more, beliefs are represented on a Symbol Stone they are considered to be in a “Shared Space”. Two kinds of Shared Space were discovered during the Investigations; entries in these listings are marked up as appropriate: Where there are symbols from two, or more, beliefs that have similar or identical meanings there is correlation between them - these have been labelled "Complementary" beliefs. If the meanings of the carvings are related so that they, at minimum, do not clash but are perhaps not sufficiently strongly linked to be correlated or harmonised then they are labelled as "Implied Acceptance". Types of carvings Animals, birds and fish are considered to represent, in the main, Celtic attributes or religious beliefs and, less so, may have a Roman connection. What is included, and why, is in Celtic Carvings. Geometric shapes of symbols have, in general, been decoded in the context of Pictish-Mithraism - a belief, it is suggested, was developed from Roman Mithraism. Christianity is always represented by Crosses and sometimes with depictions of biblical stories. Additionally, some Stones have commemorations of battle victories and hunting scenes. A later use has been for applying Ogham text. The listings - by location Entries below indicate location (original and current as well if moved from original), Class using the categorisation above and whether the carved objects are Celtic only, Pictish- Mithraic only, Celtic and Pictish-Mithraic, Celtic and Christian, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian or all three - Celtic, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian - as appropriate (based on the Investigations). CHURCH INTERIOR / FOUNDATIONS / WALL Pre-Christian religions or beliefs have often been referred to as pagan with the suggestion that the arrival of Christianity replaced such followings. However, the fact that Symbol Stones with a range of Pre-Christian iconography have been found under, inside and built into walls of churches tends to suggest superstition, acceptance or reverence towards what had come before. Because very few of these Stones have been defaced, where there are instances of two or more beliefs with their respective carved objects on the same surface it can be concluded that the shared space was used successfully. Arndilly NJ42NE 2 – built into wall of old church on site of Arndilly House prior to 1856, now built into a side wall of house - Class 1, Pictish-Mithraic only. Bourtie NJ82SW 4 – built high up into wall of 1806 church which is on the site of the former church - Class 1, Pictish-Mithraic only. Elgin NJ26SW 2 - originally unearthed in 1823 near St Giles Kirk, Elgin and moved to nave of the ruins of Elgin Cathedral - Class 2, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary). Fordoun NO77NW 3.2 – used as paving in old church / under base of pulpit of 1788 church, now in vestibule - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (implied acceptance) + scenes and Ogham. Saint association - St Palladius. Fyvie, St Peter’s Church NJ33NE 1 - three Stones built into the east gable of the church - “1” was recorded in 1867 as being built into the wall of Fyvie Schoolhouse, “2” in 1899 was already in the church wall and the third Stone came from Rothiebrisbane. “1” and Rothiebrisbane are Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only; “2” is Class 1 - Celtic and Pictish-Mithraic. Inverallan NJ02NW 4 – found in 1888 during removal of foundations of former church, now built into wall of churchyard - Class 1, Pictish-Mithraic only. Kinellar NJ81SW 6 – found in 1801 as foundation stone of previous church, now built into vestibule of parish church - Class 1, Pictish-Mithraic only. Kingoldrum NO35NW 3 – found in 1840 during demolition of earlier church, now in NMS3 - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary) + person and other objects. Saint association - St Medan. Kirriemuir NO35SE 20 – two Stones discovered in foundations of former kirk during its demolition in 1787, now in Meffan Museum, Forfar - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (“1” complementary; “2” implied acceptance) + people. Monifieth NO43SE 25 – four Stones (Class 2 and 3) found in foundation of former church were incorporated into the new church subsequently presented to NMS3. Two Class 2 - one Celtic, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary) the other Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary). Saint association - St Regulus (St Rule). Mortlach (Dufftown) NJ33NW 12 – “1” the so-called “Battle Stone” stands in the lower graveyard extension on the haughdale below the church, “2” was dug up in the kirkyard in 1925 and is now built into the vestibule of the church;. Mortlach 1 - Class 2 - Celtic and Christian (implied acceptance); Mortlach 2 - Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Rhynie, Old Church NJ42NE 30 – two slabs dug up from foundations of old church in 1878, now in a wooden shelter in kirkyard car park - both Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Saint association - St Moluag. Rosemarkie NH75NW 7 – found in floor of old church, now in Groam House Museum - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary) with bosses on cross + undecoded animals. St Vigeans NO64SW 3 – several slabs and fragments from old church site with “belief” carvings and variously with people, scenes and undecoded objects. St Vigeans 1 and 2 - Class 2 - Celtic, Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary); St Vigeans 3 - partial Z-Rod & Crescent on a fragment but not included in Investigations; St Vigeans 4 - Class 2 - Pictish- Mithraic and Christian (complementary); St Vigeans 5 - partial Z-Rod & Crescent on a fragment evaluated as Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only; St Vigeans 6 - Class 2 - sufficient carving on reverse to suggest from a Cross slab - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (implied acceptance). These Stones, fragments and more are in St Vigeans Sculptured Stones Museum. Saint association - St Vigean. Tealing NO43NW 9 - a fragment was built into the south wall of Tealing church. By 1911 removed inside the church and in 1969 transferred to McManus Museum, Dundee. Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary), fish monster is undecoded and serpent not considered to be Celtic. Saint association - St Boniface. Tyrie NJ96SW 1 – so-called “Raven Stone” slab discovered about 1800 when digging up foundations of old church, now built into inside wall of new church - Class 1 - Celtic and Pictish-Mithraic. CHURCHYARD / GRAVEYARD Perhaps their being relatively portable prompted and enabled relocation to an adjacent church, incorporation into a wall, transfer to a museum, into a shelter etc. Of these Stones only Poolewe seems to have remained in its original location. Brodie, “Rodney’s Stone” NH95NE 3 – from Dyke old church graveyard (NGR NH 9842 5766) - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (implied acceptance) plus undecoded objects and Ogham. Clatt 1 NJ52SW12 - found in kirkyard dyke, at Knockespoke House since 1890 - Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Clatt 2 NJ52NW 7 – fragment found in kirkyard (late 1800s - lost) - Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Clatt 3 at NJ52NW7 - built into kirkyard wall, moved into church 2003, replica in wall - Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Clynekirkton NC80NE 17 - two Stones found in kirkyard one in 1855, the other in 1868 (said to have been taken there from Clynemilton farm), now in Dunrobin Museum - both Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Dyce NJ81NE 8 – two Stones had been built into kirkyard dyke at St Fergus Church. Dyce 1 - Class 1 - Pictish-Mithraic only. Dyce 2 - Class 2 - Pictish-Mithraic and Christian (complementary) and Ogham.
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