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Dull

Sanctuary (Medieval)

Site Name Dull

Classification Sanctuary (Medieval)

Canmore ID 25617

Site Number NN84NW 10

NGR NN 808 490

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/25617

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Perth And Kinross
  • Parish Dull
  • Former Region Tayside
  • Former District Perth And Kinross
  • Former County Perthshire

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Dull 10 (St Adomnan), Perthshire, cross

Measurements: H 1.76m above ground, W 0.47m at the top of the upper arm, 0.55m at the shaft, D 0.17m

Stone type: sandstone

Place of discovery: NN 8073 4908

Present location: at NN 80706 49135, upright facing east/west within a small railed enclosure beside the road near the kirkyard.

Evidence for discovery: recorded in the mid nineteenth century by Stuart and the Ordnance Survey slightly farther east of its present location. Traditionally it was one of four garth crosses around the monastery at Dull, two others of which survive in Weem Old Parish Kirk (ID 25668, Dull 11 and 12).

Present condition: missing one side-arm but otherwise intact.

Description

A stout cross lacking its southerly side arm: the surviving side arm has a triangular terminal. In Stuart’s drawing it is set in a flat circular base, but this is no longer visible.

Date: early medieval.

References: NSA 1845, 766-7; Stuart 1867, pl 17 centre; ECMS pt 3, 342.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Dull 11 (St Adomnan), Perthshire, cross

Measurements: H 1.68m above the floor, W across arms 1.03m. W across shaft 0.56m, D 0.20m

Stone type: sandstone

Place of discovery: NN 810 490

Present location: in Weem Old Kirk, now the Menzies Mausoleum.

Evidence for discovery: recorded in the mid nineteenth century by Stuart, when this cross and Dull 12 were in re-use as gateposts. This is said to have been one of four garth crosses at Dull. The original sites of the four crosses are marked on the OS 1st edition 6-inch map (sheet XLVIII, 12, surveyed 1862) at NN 807 491 (Dull 10), NN 804 489, NN 810 490 and NN 812 489, and their location as gateposts is shown at the entrance to Camserney Cottage to the east of Dull at NN 8167 4891. NSA records that the three stones, which stood in a line running east/west, consisted of one large and two smaller crosses and that the larger cross was in the middle. This suggests that Dull 11 was the middle stone, flanked by Dull 12 and 13. They were moved to Camserney Cottage, the home of the factor for Castle Menzies, in the 1830s (Mackay 1954, 176), and from there to Weem Old Kirk later that century.

Present condition: good, apart from the damage caused by re-use as a gatepost.

Description

This monolithic cross has a substantial shaft and upper arm, with side arms of lesser thickness (0.15m).

Date: early medieval.

References: NSA 1845, 766-7; Stuart 1867, pl 17 left; ECMS pt 3, 342.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Dull 12 (St Adomnan), Perthshire, cross

Measurements: H 1.16m above the floor, W across arms 0.83m, W of shaft 0.45m, D 0.15m

Stone type: sandstone

Place of discovery: NN 80706 49135

Present location: in Weem Old Kirk, now the Menzies Mausoleum.

Evidence for discovery: recorded in the mid nineteenth century by Stuart, when this cross and Dull 11 were in re-use as gateposts. This is said to have been one of four garth crosses at Dull. The original sites of the four crosses are marked on the OS 1st edition 6-inch map (sheet XLVIII, 12, surveyed 1862) at NN 807 491 (Dull 10), NN 804 489, NN 810 490 and NN 812 489, and their location as gateposts is shown at the entrance to Camserney Cottage to the east of Dull at NN 8167 4891. NSA records that the three stones, which stood in a line running east/west, consisted of one large and two smaller crosses and that the larger cross was in the middle. This suggests that Dull 11 was the middle stone, flanked by Dull 12 and 13, but the order of the last two is uncertain. They were moved to Camserney Cottage, the home of the factor for Castle Menzies, in the 1830s (Mackay 1954, 176), and from there to Weem Old Kirk later that century.

Present condition: good, except that the upper arm and part of the central boss are missing. In Stuart’s drawing, the boss is intact and the upper arm survives as a stub. There is also damage caused by re-use as a gatepost.

Description

The upper arm of this monolithic cross is missing and at some stage after about 1850 its stub was chiselled away to create a flat surface between the tops of the side-arms. The intention may have been to create a tau cross. It has a large central boss (0.27m in diameter and projecting c 0.02m) incised with an equal-armed cross with a hollow at the intersection of the arms.

Date: early medieval.

References: NSA 1845, 766-7; Stuart 1867, pl 17 right; ECMS pt 3, 342.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Dull 13 (St Adomnan), Perthshire, cross

Measurements:

Stone type:

Place of discovery: near Dull.

Present location: lost?

Evidence for discovery: this is said to have been one of four garth crosses at Dull. The original sites of the four crosses are marked on the OS 1st edition 6-inch map (sheet XLVIII, 12, surveyed 1862) at NN 807 491 (Dull 10), NN 804 489, NN 810 490 and NN 812 489, and their location as gateposts is shown at the entrance to Camserney Cottage to the east of Dull at NN 8167 4891. NSA records that the three stones, which stood in a line running east/west, consisted of one large and two smaller crosses and that the larger cross was in the middle. This suggests that Dull 11 was the middle stone, flanked by Dull 12 and 13, but the order of the last two is uncertain. They were moved to Camserney Cottage, the home of the factor for Castle Menzies, in the 1830s (Mackay 1954, 176), and from there to Weem Old Kirk later that century.

It is possible that the missing Dull 13 is one and the same with the cruciform Weem 3.

Present condition:

Description

This was a monolithic cross, said to have been one of four garth crosses at Dull.

Date: medieval.

References: NSA 1845, 766-7.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Archaeology Notes

NN84NW 10.00 808 490

NN84NW 10.01 8076 4913 sanctuary marker (cross)

See also NN84NW 6.

(NN 808 490) Site of Sanctuary (NR)

(A: NN 8076 4913) Cross (NR)

(B: Name - NN 804 489) Site of Cross (NR)

(C: Name - NN 810 489) Site of Cross (NR)

(D: Name - NN 812 489) Site of Cross (NR)

Removed from the Sanctuary of the Abbey of Dull (NAT)

OS 6" map, Perthshire, 1st ed., (1861)

(A: Name - NN 8076 4913) Site of Cross (NR)

(B: Name - NN 8071 4913) Cross (NAT) (Detail to which name applies is not clear.)

OS 25" map, Perthshire, (1900)

A sanctuary, presumably associated with either the church or the Early Christian monastic establishment of Dull (NN 84 NW18) although the crosses which defined part of its bounds were only doubtfully Early Christian.

Four of the sanctuary crosses survived in 1842, one 'A', being used as a market cross in the centre of the village and the other three being used to decorate the gateway of Carnserney Cottage (NN 8168 4893). By 1900 'A' had been moved to NN 8071 4913 and the other three had also apparently been moved, two of them now being in Weem Kirk (NN84NW 6). 'A' is a rough-hewn cross, approximately 5'10" high, with one arm broken. In 1842 it stood in a large round stone socket. This was apparently the sanctuary cross to which debtors etc fled. Of the other three crosses it is not known which are the two in the Kirk of Weem, but 'C' is said to have been larger that the other two. One has been in the Kirk of Weem since c. 1867. Both bear evidence of their use as gateposts.

New Statistical Account (NSA, written by Rev D Dewer - 1842) 1845; Scot Fld 1969; HBD No. 3

Cross 'A' now stands at NN 8070 4913 in a round stone socket, and two others are still preserved in the Old Kirk of Weem (NN84NW 6).

Surveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (A A) 4 December 1974.

No change to previous field report.

Surveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (J R L) 1 December 1978.

References

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