Eassie Old Church is a ruined 13th-century parish church located near the village of Eassie in Angus, Scotland. Erected in the corner of the church is the Eassie Stone, a Class II Pictish stone. The cross slab was discovered in 1850 in the nearby burn. The church was abandoned after 1835 when a new church was built in the area to serve the combined parishes of Eassie and Nevay. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1921.
The roofless church sits on a small rise and is surrounded by a burial ground. It can be found near the village of Eassie in Angus Scotland. The building is rectangular in design, measuring 17.2 m (56 ft) x 4.7 m (15 ft). Surviving in its original layout, it was mostly rebuilt in the late 16th century. [1] The northern and southern walls survive to a height of 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in), the gables are original and the walls are 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) thick. The west doorway in the south wall is 18th century, but the eastern doorway is original. [2]
The church was initially constructed in red sandstone rubble blocks and slabs. The surviving walls have been repaired with concrete and brick. The west gable of the church holds a large two-stage bellcote, constructed from ashlar sandstone. It is topped with a flat stone slab that is capped by a ball finial and weather vane. The south wall has a Victorian burial enclosure with tall metal railings. The east gable has a first storey rectangular doorway that probably was an entrance to a gallery or loft. [3]
The church interior has been divided into three separate areas. At the east end of the church stands a large Pictish cross slab enclosed within a protective enclosure. On both the interior and the exterior of the church, several gravestones are standing upright around the walls. [3] The surrounding cemetery includes many old gravestones, including several tablestones, whose legs have been laid on their sides. [1]
The Eassie sculpted stone is a Class II symbol stone and one of the oldest surviving Pictish cross-slabs in the United Kingdom, dating to the late AD 600s. It is excellent condition for its age with most of the stone's details still visible. The stone was discovered in the 18th century at the bottom of the burn which runs close to the church. It was later moved to its present location. [4]
The monument is an upright sandstone slab measuring 0.2 m (7.9 in) high by 0.1 m (3.9 in) wide and 0.25 m (9.8 in) thick. The well-preserved face of the stone consists of a large cross with an intricately carved interlace pattern. Above and below the cross are two angels, a warrior, as well as real and mythical animals. The slab's reverse side, more damaged and weathered than the front, contains a mixture of carved figures and Pictish symbols. The carved images include a damaged Pictish beast over a double disc and Z-rod. Also on the reverse side are images of three Picts wearing cloaks and carrying spears. [1]
The church dedicated to St Brandon, was on record in the 13th century. Most of the surviving remains date to the late 16th century. [3] The parishes of Eassie and Nevay were combined in 1600. In 1835, a new church was built at a location convenient to both former parishes and the old churches were abandoned. [2] Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1921. The protected monument encompasses the remains of the church and cross slab as well as the close area that surrounds them. [5]
The Brough of Birsay is an uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay. It is located around 13 miles north of Stromness and features the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements as well as a modern light house.
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 the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th century, a period during which the Picts became Christianized. The earlier stones have no parallels from the rest of the British Isles, but the later forms are variations within a wider Insular tradition of monumental stones such as high crosses. About 350 objects classified as Pictish stones have survived, the earlier examples of which holding by far the greatest number of surviving examples of the mysterious symbols, which have long intrigued scholars.
The Hilton of Cadboll Stone is a Class II Pictish stone discovered at Hilton of Cadboll, on the East coast of the Tarbat Peninsula in Easter Ross, Scotland. It is one of the most magnificent of all Pictish cross-slabs. On the seaward-facing side was a Christian cross, and on the landward facing side are secular depictions. The latter are carved below the Pictish symbols of crescent and v-rod and double disc and Z-rod: a hunting scene including a woman wearing a large penannular brooch riding side-saddle. Like other similar stones, it can be dated to about 800 AD.
The Nigg Stone is an incomplete Class II Pictish cross-slab, perhaps dating to the end of the 8th century.
The Eassie Stone is a Class II Pictish stone of about the mid 8th century AD in the village of Eassie, Angus, Scotland. The stone was found in Eassie burn in the late 18th century and now resides in a purpose-built perspex building in the ruined Eassie church.
Kirkinch, meaning 'kirk (church) on the island' in Scots and Gaelic, is a small village in Angus, Scotland. The 'island' is the knoll on which stand the remains of the late 16th century Nevay Church and its medieval burial ground. Nevay parish is now united with Eassie parish. Originally it was an 'island' of slightly higher land surrounded by boggy country. The village houses are adjacent to the knoll, which is encompassed by the wall of the old churchyard. Some of the earliest history of the local area is represented approximately two kilometres northwest at the village of Eassie, where the Eassie Stone is displayed in a modern transparent shelter in the ruined former parish church; this finely carved Pictish cross-slab probably dates to the first half of the 8th century. The church site at Kirkinch is itself probably of early Christian origin. A simple disc-headed cross-slab found here is on display at the Meffan Institute in Forfar.
The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum is a permanent exhibition of 27 carved Pictish stones in the centre of the village of Meigle in eastern Scotland. It lies on the A94 road running from Coupar Angus to Forfar. The museum occupies the former parish school, built 1844. The collection of stones implies that an important church was located nearby, or perhaps a monastery. There is an early historical record of the work of Thana, son of Dudabrach, who was at Meigle in the middle of the 9th century during the reign of King Pherath. Thana was likely to have been a monk serving as a scribe in a local monastery that could have been founded in the 8th century. The stones contained in the museum were all found near Meigle, mostly in the neighbouring churchyard or used in the construction of the old church. The present church building dates to about 1870, the previous building having been destroyed in a fire on 28 March 1869. The stones were rescued by William Galloway immediately after the fire. The stones are Christian monuments to the dead of the Pictish warrior aristocracy, who are depicted on the stones bearing their weapons or hunting.
St Peter's Church is in the village of Heysham, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn.
The Glamis Manse Stone, also known as Glamis 2, is a Class II Pictish stone at the village of Glamis, Angus, Scotland. Dating from the 9th century, it is located outside the Manse, close to the parish church. It is inscribed on one side with a Celtic cross and on the other with a variety of Pictish symbols. It is a scheduled monument.
The Aberlemno Sculptured Stones are a series of Pictish standing stones originating in and around the village of Aberlemno, Angus, Scotland. Three are located in the village and a fourth, found in 1962, is on display in The McManus in Dundee. They date from the Early Medieval period. A fifth stone standing in the village has signs of carving, but is of unknown authenticity as a Pictish artefact.
St Orland's Stone is a Class II Pictish Cross-Slab at Cossans, near Kirriemuir and Forfar, Angus, Scotland
The Hunter's Hill Stone, otherwise known as the Glamis 1 Stone, is a Class II Pictish standing stone at Hunter's Hill to the south east of Glamis village, Angus, Scotland.
St Vigeans Sculptured Stones Museum, located in the Angus village of St Vigeans, houses an outstanding collection of Pictish carved stones. St Vigeans, close to Arbroath, was the centre of a royal estate in the Early Middle Ages, and was of religious importance as a monastery founded in the 8th century. The present-day St Vigeans Church was built in the 12th century, on a 40-foot (12 m) mound.
Fowlis Wester is a small village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Crieff and 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Perth. The parish of Fowlis Wester includes the Abercairny estate to the south-west.
Dyke Parish Church is a Georgian church in Dyke, a village in Moray. In active use by the Church of Scotland since it was built in 1781, it stands on the site of a mediaeval church, and incorporates an older mausoleum, which is now the church hall and vestry. An early mediaeval Pictish cross slab, and a twelfth century coin hoard were discovered in the grounds while the church was being built. It was designated a Category A listed building in 1971.
Anwoth Old Church is a ruined church building which was built in 1626 to serve the parish of Anwoth in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is roofless, but much of the walls remain, including the west gable which is surmounted by a bellcote. A number of substantial monuments exist within the church and its surrounding churchyard.
St Boniface's Church, Papa Westray is a historic church and graveyard located on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The site of the church dates back to the Iron Age and was possibly used later as a Christian monastery. The present church was built in the 12th century and was remodeled in 1710. A 12th-century Norse hogback gravestone lies to the east of the church. Two Pictish cross-slabs were uncovered in the graveyard in the 20th century, and were later moved to museums. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1959.
Nevay Church is a ruined 16th century parish church located near the village of Kirkinch in Angus, Scotland. Originally dedicated to St Neveth, a church has been recorded at this site since the 14th century; however, a round-headed cross-slab found in the church, and now displayed in the Meffan Institute, Forfar, suggests an earlier origin. The building and surrounding cemetery are designated a scheduled Ancient Monument. Nevay church was abandoned in 1835 when a newer church was built to serve both the Eassie and Nevay Parishes.
Trumpan Church is a ruined medieval church located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. In 1578, the church was the site of a brutal massacre of the Clan MacLeod by Clan Macdonald, of South Uist. The attack was in retaliation for the massacre of hundreds of members of Clan Macdonald in the village of Eigg the previous year. The church and surrounding graveyard contain late medieval carved gravestones. Historic Environment Scotland designated the church and surrounding burial ground a scheduled monument in 1936.