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Burghead, Grant Street, Old Burial Ground And St Aethan's Chapel
Carved Stone (Pictish)
Site Name Burghead, Grant Street, Old Burial Ground And St Aethan's Chapel
Classification Carved Stone (Pictish)
Alternative Name(s) Burghead, Promontory Fort; Burghead 7
Canmore ID 319228
Site Number NJ16NW 6.02
NGR NJ 11012 69094
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/319228
- Council Moray
- Parish Duffus
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Moray
- Former County Morayshire
Burghead 7, Moray, panel fragment
Measurements: H 0.46m, W 0.53m, D 0.10m
Stone type: sandstone
Place of discovery: NJ c 109 691
Present location: Burghead Library, Moray Museums Service (MORMS 1896-6c)
Evidence for discovery: recorded around 1860 built into the coping of the wall at the north-east corner of the old churchyard at Burghead. It had been found buried in the churchyard. It was removed from the wall in 1891 and placed in the harbourmaster’s office. Subsequently it was placed in Burghead Library. Burghead is the site of an early medieval fort and ecclesiastical foundation, possibly dedicated to St Ethernan as a nearby well is known as St Ethan’s Well.
Present condition: the upper edge is intact, as are parts of the right-hand and lower edges. The lower right corner is missing. The relief carving is somewhat pitted, and a secondary circular pit has been cut in the approximate centre of the fragment.
Description
This fragment represents the right-hand portion of a panel with a recessed flange along the right-hand edge, which is designed to fit into a groove in a corner post or block. It is thus likely to have been part of a composite stone shrine. It is carved in relief with a panel of animals within a plain roll moulding. All four animals are moving towards the left and are part of a hunting scene. A stag with antlers is being attacked by two large hounds, one above biting his spine and the other biting his neck from below. A fourth small animal stands watchfully in the lower right corner.
Date: eighth century.
References: ECMS pt 3, 137-8; Henderson & Henderson 2004, 203.
Desk-based information compiled by A Ritche 2017
Reference (1903)
A fragment of a stone slab showing a hunting scene (NJ16NW 5 - Class III No. 7) was removed in 1891 from the coping of the graveyard wall; and a fragment with Stafford knot work was found within the churchyard (NJ16NW 5 - Class III No. 11).
J R Allen and J Anderson 1903.
Field Visit (16 September 1963)
No trace of the chapel remains. The stone slab showing a hunting scene (J R Allen and J Anderson 1903) is in the museum at the harbourmaster's office, Burghead and a fragment which may be the fragment with Staffordshire knotwork is also in the museum, (No acc. number). Nothing was seen of the stones mentioned by C Cordiner.
Visited by OS (W D J), 16 September 1963.
External Reference (September 2003)
No.7 Fragment of panel bearing a hunting scene (Moray Museums Service MORMS 1896-6c).
No.11 Possible shrine corner post (Moray Museums Service MORMS 1896-6q).
See also NJ16NW 5.
Information from I G Scott, September 2003.
