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Reay Parish Church

Cross (Period Unassigned)(Possible)

Site Name Reay Parish Church

Classification Cross (Period Unassigned)(Possible)

Canmore ID 7328

Site Number NC96SE 1

NGR NC 9673 6482

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/7328

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

  • Council Highland
  • Parish Reay
  • Former Region Highland
  • Former District Caithness
  • Former County Caithness

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Reay 2, Caithness (St Colman), cross-slab/squared pillar-stone

Reay 2 (St Colman), Caithness, cross-slab/squared pillar-stone

Measurements: H 0.90m, W 0.23m, D 0.23m

Stone type: reddish sandstone

Place of discovery: NC 9673 6482

Present location: National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh (IB 267)

Evidence for discovery: found in 1947 built into the S wall of Reay parish church.

Present condition: worn and damaged, truncated at base, with a dowel hole cut into face C.

Description

This slab is unusual for a cross-slab in its dimensions, the width and depth being equal. The top of the slab has secondary chiselling. Carved in low relief, face A bears a cross with a square expansion at the top, the whole outlined by a narrow roll moulding and filled with diagonal key patter, face B is carved with a plain oval at the top, with below a hound ‘snapping at the stag round the corner’ (Stevenson 1950), below again a horned animal possibly with a bell round its neck, below which is a seated or kneeling cow, all three facing right. The horned animal and the cow have crudely incised spiral joints. Below the cow is a horse trotting to the left. Face C is carved with, at the top, an antlered stag facing right, above a panel of single-strand interlace framed by a flat band moulding. Face D bears three well-executed running spirals and another motif has been chiselled away at the top.

Date: eighth century.

Desk-based information compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Reay 2 (St Colman), Caithness, cross-slab/squared pillar-stone

Measurements: H 0.90m, W 0.23m, D 0.23m

Stone type: reddish sandstone

Place of discovery: NC 9673 6482

Present location: National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh (X.IB 267)

Evidence for discovery: found in 1947 built into the S wall of Reay parish church.

Present condition: worn and damaged, truncated at base, with a dowel hole cut into face C.

Description

This slab is unusual for a cross-slab in its dimensions, the width and depth being equal. The top of the slab has secondary chiselling. Carved in low relief, face A bears a cross with a square expansion at the top, the whole outlined by a narrow roll moulding and filled with diagonal key patter, face B is carved with a plain oval at the top, with below a hound ‘snapping at the stag round the corner’ (Stevenson 1950), below again a horned animal possibly with a bell round its neck, below which is a seated or kneeling cow, all three facing right. The horned animal and the cow have crudely incised spiral joints. Below the cow is a horse trotting to the left. Face C is carved with, at the top, an antlered stag facing right, above a panel of single-strand interlace framed by a flat band moulding. Face D bears three well-executed running spirals and another motif has been chiselled away at the top.

Date range: eighth century.

References: Stevenson 1950; Blackie & Macaulay 1998: no 21.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

Reay 2 (St Colman), Caithness, cross-slab/squared pillar-stone

Measurements: H 0.90m, W 0.23m, D 0.23m

Stone type: reddish sandstone

Place of discovery: NC 9673 6482

Present location: National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh (X.IB 267)

Evidence for discovery: found in 1947 built into the S wall of Reay parish church.

Present condition: worn and damaged, truncated at base, with a dowel hole cut into face C.

Description

This slab is unusual for a cross-slab in its dimensions, the width and depth being equal. The top of the slab has secondary chiselling. Carved in low relief, face A bears a cross with a square expansion at the top, the whole outlined by a narrow roll moulding and filled with diagonal key patter, face B is carved with a plain oval at the top, with below a hound ‘snapping at the stag round the corner’ (Stevenson 1950), below again a horned animal possibly with a bell round its neck, below which is a seated or kneeling cow, all three facing right. The horned animal and the cow have crudely incised spiral joints. Below the cow is a horse trotting to the left. Face C is carved with, at the top, an antlered stag facing right, above a panel of single-strand interlace framed by a flat band moulding. Face D bears three well-executed running spirals and another motif has been chiselled away at the top.

Date range: eighth century.

References: Stevenson 1950; Blackie & Macaulay 1998: no 21.

Compiled by A Ritchie 2016

Activities

Reference (1952)

NC96SE 1 9673 6482.

(NC 9673 6482) A Pictish sculptured stone, a square sandstone pillar 35 1/2ins high and about 9ins wide, and not likely to be later than the 8th century, was found in 1947, built into the S wall of Reay parish church, and was donated to the NMAS (Accession no: IB 267). The lower part of the shaft is missing. It may be part of a cross-shaft, or a completely new type of monument, a squared pillar-stone. (See NC96SE 3)

R B K Stevenson 1952; Information from the National Museum of Antiquies of Scotland [NMAS] Accession Card Index.

Reference (1984)

The fragment was built into the south wall of Reay parish church before being donated to the NMAS and could be the fragment found during the construction of the power station (centred NC 98 67). It is decorated on all 4 sides in flat relief; front - a cross; the right - various beasts; left - spiral; back - a stag and interlace.

A Jackson 1984.

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