Monifieth Sculptured Stones
Encyclopedia
The Monifieth Sculptured Stones are a series of five class II and III standing Pictish stones
from the early Medieval period
found in or around St Regulus' church in Monifieth
, Angus
, Scotland
. Uncovered during the demolition of a pre-Reformation church and its kirkyard wall in the 19th and 20th centuries, the stones are now housed in the collection of the Museum of Scotland.
, Angus
, Scotland
until 1870 (the stones known as Monifieth 1, 2, 3 and 4) or 1928 (Monifieth 5). Monifieth 4 was possibly originally located at St Bride's
Ring, Kingennie and moved to Monifieth in pre-Reformation times. All five are now housed in the collection of the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
.
monastic order. The church was endowed to the recently founded Arbroath Abbey
by Gille Críst, Earl of Angus
around 1201-1207, and the lands to the south of the Church (now much reduced in size due to erosion) in 1242-1243 by Matilda, Countess of Angus
.
The materials of the Culdee buildings were apparently recycled when a new church building was erected at some point before the Reformation
. This building was, in turn, demolished to make way for a new church in 1812. During the demolitions, "remains of the Culdee edifice" were found dating from before the church's acquisition by Arbroath Abbey. The pre-Reformation church also made use of the shaft of a high cross
as a lintel
for the "queer" door. According to Samuel Miller, minister at Monifieth during the time of the Second Statistical Account
, this had been appropriated from a site several miles to the North at Kingennie, known as St Bride's Ring, the remains of a circular stone structure 30 meters in diameter, with walls 2 meters thick and 0.5 meters high. . Miller's account refers to a large socketed boulder, some yards to north that once held the cross. This stone is now known as Monifieth 4.
Of the artifacts found in the Church foundations, Jervise made note of two sculptured stones built into the fabric of the church walls. These two stones (now known as Monifieth 1 and Monifieth 2) were removed from the church walls to allow them to be sketched for John Stuart
's The Sculptured Stones of Scotland, published in 1856. On a visit to the church by Cosmo Innes
, Joseph Robertson
and John Stuart in 1864, they were made aware of a fourth stone (Monifieth 3) that had been unearthed in a garden adjoining the church. These four stones were donated to the Museum of Antiquities (now part of the Museum of Scotland) in Edinburgh
in 1870.
A further high cross fragment was later found incorporated into the kirkyard wall. This bears similarity with Monifieth 4 and was donated to the Museum of Antiquities in 1928.
and Pictish
symbols, defining it as a Class II cross slab under J. Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson's classification system.
The front face of the stone bears a notched Quadrate cross
decorated with keywork designs, surrounded by a thick border around the edge of the stone. The rear face is unique in having double disc symbols
both with and without Z-rod ornamentation. The unornamented double disc lies horizontally at the top and is decorated with spiral designs. The double disc and Z-rod lies vertically on the right hand side of the face and is decorated with concentric circles. On the left of the face is a comb symbol and, lying between the comb and double disc and Z-rod, is an area of damage, where a long rectangular section had been removed when the stone was incorporated into the fabric of St Regulas' Church. The lower portion of the rear face is heavily damaged, but a portion of the edge of a circular symbol remains. Given the presence of a comb symbol, this may have originally represented a mirror. This face also features a heavy border around the edge.
The front again features a notched quadrate cross, with the central section featuring an angular knotwork design. The arms also have knotworks, whereas the shaft features a spiral design above a small keywork and the head has a further spiral design. On the rear face there are a variety of symbols. There are bird headed creatures incorporated into the upper border of the slab. The upper half of the slab holds two designs: on the left, a long-necked creature similar to that on one of the sides of Monifieth 4; on the right, a dear's head similar to that on the Class I stone at Dunachton
and the Class II Glamis Manse stone. The lower right quadrant of the slab has a crescent and V-rod design and the lower left holds a worn figure, cloaked and bearing a halo, recently identified as the virgin Mary.
, 1.16 meters by 0.28 meters wide by 0.18 meters thick, once built into the front of St Regulus' Church and possibly originally from St Bride's Ring. While it features Celtic Christian imagery, it has no idiomatic Pictish symbols, defining it as Class III. The cross is broken at bottom of intersection with the arms. The upper portion of the front face is a crucifixion
scene, with the portion of the Christ figure above the waist missing. Flanking his legs are two human figures. Below the crucifixion scene are two robed figures holding unidentifiable objects. Below them are a further two figures holding drinking horns and the bottom of the cross has a seated harpist, similar to that on the Dupplin Cross
.
The rear face features a ringed knotwork design above a back-biting creature. The sides of the cross also feature knotwork designs, above phantasmogorical creatures.
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...
from the early Medieval period
Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
Scotland in the early Middle Ages, between the end of Roman authority in southern and central Britain from around 400 and the rise of the kingdom of Alba in 900, was divided into a series of petty kingdoms. Of these the four most important to emerge were the Picts, the Scots of Dál Riata, the...
found in or around St Regulus' church in Monifieth
Monifieth
Monifieth is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the North bank of the Firth of Tay on the East Coast...
, 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...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Uncovered during the demolition of a pre-Reformation church and its kirkyard wall in the 19th and 20th centuries, the stones are now housed in the collection of the Museum of Scotland.
Location
Stones located at St Regulus' (St Rule's) Church, MonifiethMonifieth
Monifieth is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the North bank of the Firth of Tay on the East Coast...
, 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...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
until 1870 (the stones known as Monifieth 1, 2, 3 and 4) or 1928 (Monifieth 5). Monifieth 4 was possibly originally located at St Bride's
Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigit of Kildare, or Brigit of Ireland , nicknamed Mary of the Gael is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba...
Ring, Kingennie and moved to Monifieth in pre-Reformation times. All five are now housed in the collection of the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
History
The church and lands of Monifieth were originally possessions of the ascetic Céli DéCuldee
Céli Dé or Culdees were originally members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland and England in the Middle Ages. The term is used of St. John the Apostle, of a missioner from abroad recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters at the year 806, and of Óengus...
monastic order. The church was endowed to the recently founded Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
by Gille Críst, Earl of Angus
Gille Críst, Earl of Angus
Gilla Críst of Angus, ruled until 1206 as Mormaer of Angus. He was a son of Gille Brigte of Angus and younger brother of Adam of Angus.Almost nothing is known of him, except that he married Marjorie of Huntingdon, the daughter of Henry, Earl of Huntingdon and Ada de Warenne, and that he was...
around 1201-1207, and the lands to the south of the Church (now much reduced in size due to erosion) in 1242-1243 by Matilda, Countess of Angus
Matilda, Countess of Angus
Matilda of Angus was the daughter of Maol Choluim, Earl or Mormaer of Angus and as his heiress was countess of the province in her own right.She was first married to John Comyn, but his early death in France in 1242 meant that a new husband was needed to control the dispersed Earldom. The man...
.
The materials of the Culdee buildings were apparently recycled when a new church building was erected at some point before the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. This building was, in turn, demolished to make way for a new church in 1812. During the demolitions, "remains of the Culdee edifice" were found dating from before the church's acquisition by Arbroath Abbey. The pre-Reformation church also made use of the shaft of a high cross
High cross
A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors...
as a lintel
Post and lintel
Post and lintel, or in contemporary usage Post and beam, is a simple construction method using a lintel, header, or architrave as the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends by two vertical columns, pillars, or posts...
for the "queer" door. According to Samuel Miller, minister at Monifieth during the time of the Second Statistical Account
Statistical Accounts of Scotland
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland are three series of documentary publications covering life in Scotland in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries....
, this had been appropriated from a site several miles to the North at Kingennie, known as St Bride's Ring, the remains of a circular stone structure 30 meters in diameter, with walls 2 meters thick and 0.5 meters high. . Miller's account refers to a large socketed boulder, some yards to north that once held the cross. This stone is now known as Monifieth 4.
Of the artifacts found in the Church foundations, Jervise made note of two sculptured stones built into the fabric of the church walls. These two stones (now known as Monifieth 1 and Monifieth 2) were removed from the church walls to allow them to be sketched for John Stuart
John Stuart (genealogist)
-Life:Stuart was born in November 1813 at Forgue, Aberdeenshire, where his father had a small farm. He was educated at Aberdeen University, and in 1836 became a member of the Aberdeen Society of Advocates. In 1853 he was appointed one of the official searchers of records in the Register House,...
's The Sculptured Stones of Scotland, published in 1856. On a visit to the church by Cosmo Innes
Cosmo Innes
Cosmo Nelson Innes was a Scottish historian and antiquary.Innes was educated at Edinburgh High School, at Aberdeen and Glasgow Universities, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1822, and was appointed Professor of Constitutional Law and History in the...
, Joseph Robertson
Joseph Robertson (historian)
-Life:He was born in Aberdeen on 17 May 1810. His father, having tried his fortune in England, had returned to his native county, where he was first a small farmer, and afterwards a small shopkeeper, at Wolmanhill, Aberdeen. His mother was left a widow when Joseph was only seven, and he was...
and John Stuart in 1864, they were made aware of a fourth stone (Monifieth 3) that had been unearthed in a garden adjoining the church. These four stones were donated to the Museum of Antiquities (now part of the Museum of Scotland) in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1870.
A further high cross fragment was later found incorporated into the kirkyard wall. This bears similarity with Monifieth 4 and was donated to the Museum of Antiquities in 1928.
Monifieth 1
The stone is an upright slab of grey sandstone, 0.72 meters tall, 0.36 meters wide and 0.15 meters thick. It is dressed, with designs carved in relief including both ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Pictish
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
symbols, defining it as a Class II cross slab under J. Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson's classification system.
The front face of the stone bears a notched Quadrate cross
Quadrate (heraldry)
In heraldry, an ordinary is described as quadrate when it has a square central boss.Only certain ordinaries are usually shown quadrate: the cross, the pale, and the fess – but not, for example, a bordure or chevron....
decorated with keywork designs, surrounded by a thick border around the edge of the stone. The rear face is unique in having double disc symbols
Double 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:...
both with and without Z-rod ornamentation. The unornamented double disc lies horizontally at the top and is decorated with spiral designs. The double disc and Z-rod lies vertically on the right hand side of the face and is decorated with concentric circles. On the left of the face is a comb symbol and, lying between the comb and double disc and Z-rod, is an area of damage, where a long rectangular section had been removed when the stone was incorporated into the fabric of St Regulas' Church. The lower portion of the rear face is heavily damaged, but a portion of the edge of a circular symbol remains. Given the presence of a comb symbol, this may have originally represented a mirror. This face also features a heavy border around the edge.
Monifieth 2
Monifieth 2 is another class II cross slab of grey sandstone, 0.45 meters tall by 0.3 meters wide by 0.08 meters thick. It has substantial areas of wear to the rear.The front again features a notched quadrate cross, with the central section featuring an angular knotwork design. The arms also have knotworks, whereas the shaft features a spiral design above a small keywork and the head has a further spiral design. On the rear face there are a variety of symbols. There are bird headed creatures incorporated into the upper border of the slab. The upper half of the slab holds two designs: on the left, a long-necked creature similar to that on one of the sides of Monifieth 4; on the right, a dear's head similar to that on the Class I stone at Dunachton
Dunachton
Dunachton is an estate on the north-west shore of Loch Insh in Badenoch and Strathspey, in the Highlands of Scotland. It occupies land immediately to the north of the A9 road and General Wade's Military Road....
and the Class II Glamis Manse stone. The lower right quadrant of the slab has a crescent and V-rod design and the lower left holds a worn figure, cloaked and bearing a halo, recently identified as the virgin Mary.
Monifieth 3
Another type II cross slab, Monifieth 3 is 0.45 meters by 0.58 meters by 0.08 meters. The front face features a defaced cross shaft with birds and animals at the sides. The rear features a figure on horseback, a crescent symbol, dog, fish monster, a dog chasing a stag and a pair of biting heads.Monifieth 4
The largest stone is a fragment of a free-standing high crossHigh cross
A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors...
, 1.16 meters by 0.28 meters wide by 0.18 meters thick, once built into the front of St Regulus' Church and possibly originally from St Bride's Ring. While it features Celtic Christian imagery, it has no idiomatic Pictish symbols, defining it as Class III. The cross is broken at bottom of intersection with the arms. The upper portion of the front face is a crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
scene, with the portion of the Christ figure above the waist missing. Flanking his legs are two human figures. Below the crucifixion scene are two robed figures holding unidentifiable objects. Below them are a further two figures holding drinking horns and the bottom of the cross has a seated harpist, similar to that on the Dupplin Cross
Dupplin Cross
The Dupplin Cross is a carved, monumental Pictish stone, which dates from around 800A.D. It was first recorded by Thomas Pennant in 1769, on a hillside in Strathearn, a little to the north Forteviot and Dunning...
.
The rear face features a ringed knotwork design above a back-biting creature. The sides of the cross also feature knotwork designs, above phantasmogorical creatures.
Monifieth 5
Monifieth 5 is another class III high cross fragment, broken under the arms. It measures 0.5 meters long, 0.2 meters wide and 0.1 meters thick. The front again features part of a crucifixion scene, with the Christ figure broken off at the waist. Flanking his legs are two figures. The lower part of the cross shaft is worn and any decoration has been worn away. The rear of the cross shaft is also too worn to interpret.External links
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/wishiwerebaking/4702742607/ Photograph of Monifieth 1 front, Museum of Scotland. Photographer "wishiwerebaking", Flickr.com