Abercorn Description of stone
Event ID 1011327
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Early Medieval Carved Stones Project
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1011327
Abercorn 8, West Lothian, cross-shaft fragments
Measurements: H upper shaft frag 1.3m, lower shaft frag 1.8m, W 0.41m to 0.28m, D 0.31m to 0.23m
Stone type: sandstone
Place of discovery: NT 0814 7907
Present location: in museum at Abercorn Church (Canmore 251979).
Evidence for discovery: found re-used as cope-stones in the parapet of the bridge over the Midhope Burn in front of the gates to Midhope Castle, and taken to Abercorn Church in 1934.
Present condition: broken and worn.
Description
These two fragments comprise parts of faces A, B and D, all carved in relief with a plain roll moulding at the corners and an inner roll moulding to frame the panels of ornament (face C is missing entirely). The base of the shaft is plain and extends 0.38m below the lowest panel. Face A is carved with at least five panels, and the lower four complete panels are of equal size. The lowest panel and the third panel from the bottom contain patterns of turned interlace. The second panel from the bottom contains two scrolls of vinescroll inhabited by two non-identical birds, one facing right and the other facing left. Their heads, wings and tails extend outside their respective scrolls, and each has a plain pointed leaf terminating the scroll in front of its chest. The lower bird has a markedly large drilled eye with a flat sunken base, which could easily have accommodated an eye in a different material. The fourth panel is carved with two confronted quadrupeds, their reptilian heads facing right, and their elongated tails interwoven with each other’s limbs and a mesh of interlace. What survives of the top panel shows a variant of the tangled scroll, with a plain node and veined heart-shaped leaves.
Faces B and D appear to have been carved with a single panel of ornament, each containing a vine trail. On face B there are hanging short triangular berry bunches, while on face D there are both similar berry bunches and heart-shaped leaves pointing upwards.
Date: eighth century.
References: RCAHMS 1929, no 285; Calder 1938.
Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016
