Scheduled Monument

Glamis 1, cross slab 140m WSW of LoanheadSM151

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
16/11/1923
Last Date Amended
28/07/2015
Supplementary Information Updated
19/07/2016
Type
Crosses and carved stones: cross slab
Local Authority
Angus
Parish
Glamis
NGR
NO 39378 46545
Coordinates
339378, 746545

Description

The monument is a Pictish cross slab dating probably to between about AD 700 and 1000. The stone is well preserved and stands within woodland to the SE of the village of Glamis, on the N flank of Hunters Hill, at about 120m above sea level. The monument was last scheduled in 1935, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this. It comprises a large rectangular stone slab, measuring about 1.5m high, 0.72m across and 0.14m thick, sculptured partly with incised lines and partly in relief. The wide faces of the slab are oriented approximately E and W. The E face bears an interlace-decorated cross with single hollow armpits. To the top left is a seraph and to the top right a damaged scene depicting an animal-headed man with an axe and a second figure. To the left of the shaft are two deer and to the right two lion-like animals, a triple disc symbol and a 'flower' symbol. The W (back) face is undressed and displays a 'lion', a serpent and an unfinished mirror symbol, all incised, one above the other. There is a distinctive key pattern along the top edge of the stone. The scheduled area is circular on plan, measuring 8m in diameter, centred on the stone, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of the metal railings that surround the stone.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to make a significant addition to our knowledge of the past, particularly our appreciation and understanding of early ecclesiastical sculpture and the development of Christianity. It has the potential to further our understanding of how such stone carvings were made, their functions, and their role in contemporary religious practices. The cross slab retains much of its original form, with its decorative carvings surviving in good condition and still visible on both main faces; there is high potential for comparative study both with other examples of Pictish carved stones, and with stones from Iona, Wales and Ireland. There is the potential to study the location and form of this cross with others across Angus, and to study its relationship with broadly contemporary places of worship to better understand the origins, development and organisation of the early church in Scotland. The loss of this monument would impede our ability to understand ecclesiastical sculpture, stone carvings and the early Christian church both in Angus and Scotland as a whole.

References

Bibliography

Other Information

RCAHMS record the monument as NO34NE 17. The Angus Sites and Monuments Record reference is NO34NE0017.

References

Allen and Anderson, J R and J, 1903 The early Christian monuments of Scotland: a classified illustrated descriptive list of the monuments with an analysis of their symbolism and ornamentation, Edinburgh, part 3, 221.

Laing, L, 2001 'The date and context of the Glamis, Angus, carved Pictish stones', Proc Soc Antiq Scot 131, 223-39.

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

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Printed: 23/04/2024 08:59