Dunnichen Stone
Encyclopedia
The Dunnichen Stone is a class I Pictish symbol stone
that was discovered in 1811 at Dunnichen
, Angus
.
, on the SE
slope of Dunnichen Hill, , overlooking Dunnichen Moss. It is currently on display at the Meffan Institute in Forfar
.
. While this name is no longer extant, Headrick records that it was in East Mains of Dunnichen, and the location was later assigned in 1966 at a disused quarry on that farm.
The discovery was described by Headrick:
Jervise, noting the inaccuracy of description, identifies this confidently with the extant Dunnichen Stone.
The stone was initially erected at the unidentified "Kirkton Church", either in Dunnichen or in Letham, then it was moved to the garden of Dunnichen House. It was relocated to St Vigeans
Museum in 1967, then to Dundee Museum (now the McManus Galleries
) in 1972. It is currently on long-term loan to the Meffan Institute
in Forfar.
A replica stands at the Church in Dunnichen.
; and a mirror and comb. While the double disc and Z-rod and mirror and comb motifs are fairly common and exist together elsewhere (see for example the Aberlemno Serpent Stone
, the Flower is relatively rare.
Pictish stones
Pictish stones are monumental stelae found in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line. These stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th centuries, a period during which the Picts became Christianized...
that was discovered in 1811 at Dunnichen
Dunnichen
Dunnichen is a small village in Angus, Scotland, situated between Letham and Forfar. It is close to Dunnichen Hill, at which the Battle of Dun Nechtain is popularly believed to have been fought.-History:...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
.
Location
The exact location at which the stone was found is unknown, but thought to be in a field in the East Mains of DunnichenDunnichen
Dunnichen is a small village in Angus, Scotland, situated between Letham and Forfar. It is close to Dunnichen Hill, at which the Battle of Dun Nechtain is popularly believed to have been fought.-History:...
, on the SE
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
slope of Dunnichen Hill, , overlooking Dunnichen Moss. It is currently on display at the Meffan Institute in Forfar
Forfar
Forfar is a parish, town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people in Angus, located in the East Central Lowlands of Scotland. Forfar is the county town of Angus, which was officially known as Forfarshire from the 18th century until 1929, when the ancient name was reinstated, and...
.
History
Jervise relates that the stone was found in a field called the Chashel or Castle Park, and that the site later became a quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. While this name is no longer extant, Headrick records that it was in East Mains of Dunnichen, and the location was later assigned in 1966 at a disused quarry on that farm.
The discovery was described by Headrick:
[...] a good many years ago, there was turned up with the plough a large flat stone, on which is cut a rude outline of an armed warrior's head and shoulders
Jervise, noting the inaccuracy of description, identifies this confidently with the extant Dunnichen Stone.
The stone was initially erected at the unidentified "Kirkton Church", either in Dunnichen or in Letham, then it was moved to the garden of Dunnichen House. It was relocated to St Vigeans
St Vigeans
St Vigeans is a small village and parish in Angus, Scotland, immediately to the north of Arbroath. Originally rural, it is now more or less a suburb of the town of Arbroath. The name St Vigeans is derived from Vigeanus, a Latinised form of the Old Irish name Féichín. Saint Feichin flourished in...
Museum in 1967, then to Dundee Museum (now the McManus Galleries
McManus Galleries
McManus Galleries is a Gothic Revival-style building, located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history collection....
) in 1972. It is currently on long-term loan to the Meffan Institute
Meffan Institute
The Meffan Institute is a museum and art gallery in Forfar, Angus. It houses a variety of exhibits of local interest in Angus, including a collection of Pictish stones, particularly the Dunnichen Stone and the Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones as well as Roman and Mediaeval artifacts found in the local...
in Forfar.
A replica stands at the Church in Dunnichen.
Description
The stone is of rough sandstone, 1.5 meters (4 foot 8 inches) high, 0.7 meters (2 foot 3 inches) wide and 0.3 meters (1 foot) thick. It is incised on one face with three symbols: a pictish flower; a double disc and Z-rodDouble disc (Pictish symbol)
The double disc is a Pictish symbol of unknown meaning, that is frequently found on Class I and Class II Pictish stones, as well as on Pictish metalwork. The symbol can be found with and without an overlaid Z-rod , and in combinations of both .-Gallery:...
; and a mirror and comb. While the double disc and Z-rod and mirror and comb motifs are fairly common and exist together elsewhere (see for example the Aberlemno Serpent Stone
Aberlemno
Aberlemno is a parish and small village in the Scottish council area of Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones dating from the 7th and 8th centuries AD ; the stones can be viewed at any time in spring-autumn, but are covered by wooden boxes in the winter to prevent frost damage...
, the Flower is relatively rare.