The Clach a' Charridh or Shandwick Stone is a Class II

Pictish stone A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line and on the Eastern side of the country, these stones are ...

located near

Shandwick Shandwick ( gd, Seannduaig), a village near Tain in Easter Ross, and is in the Scottish council area of Highland, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Gre ...

on the Tarbat peninsula in

Easter Ross Easter Ross ( gd, Ros an Ear) is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland. The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constitue ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Carving

It is a Class II stone, with the

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

facing the seaward side, and the secular scene facing inland. The latter contains six panels, the first (from top to bottom) being a standard Pictish double-disc, the second being a

Pictish Beast The Pictish Beast (sometimes Pictish Dragon or Pictish Elephant) is an artistic representation of an animal depicted on Pictish symbol stones. Design The Pictish Beast is not easily identifiable with any real animal, but resembles a seahorse, ...

and the third being a possible hunting scene, with warriors depicted alongside an eagle, a boar, and various other creatures. The bottom three panels consist of woven patterns. The stone is now encased in a glass cover room.

History

The Gaelic name (''Clach a’ Charaidh'') means ‘stone of the grave-plots’. A burial ground here was recorded in 1889 as last used during the cholera epidemic of 1832 and ploughed under about 1885.

References

* Scott, Douglas, ''The Stones of the Pictish Peninsulas'', (Hilton Trust, 2004)

External links

Am Baile
Pictish stones in Highland (council area) Pictish stones Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Highland {{UK-archaeology-stub fr:Pierres Pictes de Ross