From Monday the 22nd to Thursday the 25th of August, this was a splendid trip admirably organised by Ian Stewart.
During the four days, between us we visited 15 locations including 9 Historic Environment Scotland (HES), 1 Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and 1 National Trust for Scotland (NTS) sites.
Monday, 22nd August: Meigle, Eassie and Aberlemno sculptured Pictish stones
Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum (Historic Environment Scotland)
Travelling from a wide range of locations, seventeen members of our Society arrived at HES’s Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum on Monday morning at 10.30 where we were given an introduction to the sculptured stones by John Borland, a friend of our Society who has recently presented a talk on ‘The Early Medieval Sculpture of Highland Perthshire’ and led a visit to the sculptured stones at Fortingall church, who was going to stay with us all day to guide us through the mysteries of these Pictish stones. John has recently retired from HES where previously he had been their Measured Survey Manager, but latterly was responsible for their Carved Stone Recording Programme. Currently, he is also the President of the Pictish Arts Society.
This is an amazing collection of early medieval Pictish sculpture showing both pre-Christian and Christian symbolism and John, with his extensive knowledge and expertise on this subject, was able to describe and interpret many of the stones’ symbols and scenes that they depicted, many of which were violent, bringing these stones to life.
The legend suggests that the stone above, found at this mound in the churchyard, was carved for Guinevere’s grave.
Some of us were then able to visit the adjacent Meigle Parish Church which happened to be open for cleaning. The church was re-built in 1870 by John Carver after fire destroyed the pre-Reformation stone church of 1431. It stands on the ancient site of a turf church erected by Columban missionaries around 606 AD.
The ancient font was of particular interest having been recovered from the debris of the old church and is now set on a new base in the south vestibule of the present building. It is octagonal, and each face bears a bas relief connected with Christ’s Passion.
Eassie Sculptured Stone (HES)
We then had lunch at the nearby Joinery Coffee Shop (highly recommended), before our stone pilgrimage went on to the Old Church of Eassie where there is a single carved stone with Pictish and Christian symbols.
The Eassie Cross slab is one of the earliest examples of a Pictish cross-slab, dating to the late AD 600s. It is in a remarkable state of preservation; while weathered, details like the musculature of the deer depicted are still clearly visible.
The cross-slab was found in a stream that runs below the churchyard wall and now sits in a purpose-built shelter in the corner of the ruined church. This was very likely the site of an early Pictish church.
Aberlemno Village Hall Exhibition and HES Aberlemno Sculptured Stones
From Eassie, we continued through Forfar to Aberlemno where John Borland had arranged for the Aberlemno Village Hall, run as a community trust, to be specially opened for us. The hall houses an exhibition which provides an excellent introduction to the Picts and their stones in the Angus area.
Outside, there are four stones with Pictish carvings, variously dating between about AD 500 and 800, which show a range of carvings, from characteristic Pictish symbols to overtly Christian iconograph.
Three of these stones stand by the roadside opposite the Village Hall, whilst the fourth stands in the village churchyard a short distance away. The roadside stones comprise:
- The Serpent Stone’ (Aberlemno I), a leaning reused prehistoric standing stone;
- ‘The Roadside Cross’ (Aberlemno III), a magnificent cross-slab; and
- ‘The Crescent Stone’ (Aberlemno IV), an unshaped boulder bearing traces of two symbols.
The Serpent Stone
The ‘Serpent Stone’ (Aberlemno I) is a Class I Pictish symbol stone of Old Red Sandstone. It stands at 1.83m tall and dates to the second half of the first millennium AD. It is a rude pillar in shape and is the northernmost of the three carved stones by the roadside in Aberlemno.
The front face exhibits a series of common Pictish symbols, and the back face is carved with probable cup-markings, thus suggesting it is a reused prehistoric standing stone.
The Roadside Cross
The ‘Roadside Cross’ (Aberlemno III) is a Class II Pictish upright cross-slab of Old Red Sandstone. It stands within a stone socket at an impressive 2.82m tall and dates to the late first millennium AD. This cross-slab is one of the finest in its class.
The front face exhibits a quadrilobate Christian cross with a central raised boss, carved all in relief, including numerous interlace and key-pattern decorated panels, although these are badly weathered. There are also two angels and two beasts on this face. The back face exhibits two Pictish symbols at the top, a hunting scene, a centaur, David splitting the jaws of a lion, and numerous other associated carvings. The left and right side are also decorated with carvings.
The Crescent Stone
The ‘Crescent Stone (Aberlemno IV) is the middle stone of the three roadside carved stones and is a Class I Pictish symbol stone of red sandstone. It stands at approximately 1.80m tall and probably dates to the second half of the first millennium AD. It is a rude pillar in shape and the front face exhibits what appear to be either badly worn or erased, or unfinished, Pictish symbols.
The fourth, magnificent, large Pictish cross stone, ‘The Churchyard Cross’, stands in the nearby churchyard.
The Churchyard Cross
The ‘Churchyard Cross’ (Aberlemno II) standing within the Aberlemno Parish churchyard, is a Class II Pictish upright cross-slab of Old Red Sandstone. It stands at an impressive 2.28m tall and dates to the late first millennia AD. The front face exhibits a quadrilobate Christian cross, carved all in relief, including numerous interlace decorated panels as well several zoomorphic creatures, beasts and hippocamps. The back face exhibits three Pictish symbols at the top and a probable battle scene below, and is one of a very few Pictish symbol stones to depict a battle.
Note that HES encloses these four stones in large protective insulated timber boxes during the winter months.
We were staying at the George Hotel in Montrose which was very comfortable and reasonably priced but notable particularly for the enormous portions of food. By the evening of our third day, most of us were forgoing a starter and/or a dessert and selecting our main course from the ‘small portion menu’ which was perfectly adequate for most of us.
Tuesday, 23rd August: Arbroath Abbey, Arbroath Signal Tower, Lunan Bay and the SWT Montrose Basin Reserve
Arbroath Abbey (HES)
On Tuesday morning we visited Arbroath Abbey, founded in 1178 by King William I, also known as ‘William the Lion’. We entered by way of the excellent visitor centre which recently has been extensively reorganised with new displays and videos.
Here we learned about the founding of the Abbey by William I, (whose gravestone is in the nave area) who asked the Tironensian monks from Kelso Abbey to establish the monastery. He intended the abbey to act as a memorial to his childhood friend Thomas Becket, the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as to help the king demonstrate his right to rule and expand his authority in the north-east of Scotland.
There are also extensive displays about ‘The Declaration of Arbroath’, arguably being the most famous document in Scottish history. This was a letter dated 6th April 1320 to Pope John XXII sent by 39 Scottish nobles, barons and freemen in response to the renewed excommunication of Robert the Bruce.
Associated with ‘The Declaration’ is one of the most impressive exhibits on display, ‘The Declaration of Arbroath Tapestry Triptych’ which is an incredible, collaborative craft object made to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the most important letter in Scottish history.
The tapestry design is by Andrew Crummy, stitched embroidery by the Red Lichties Stitching Group and the wooden frame was designed by Angus Ross and constructed in his workshop in Aberfeldy by his Senior Maker, Steven Gray.
The gravestone of ‘William the Lion’, lies is in the nave area.
Arbroath Signal Tower Museum
While in Arbroath we visited the Signal Tower Museum which is located near Arbroath’s picturesque and busy harbour.
Built in 1813 as a base of operations for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse located 12 miles off-shore, the Signal Tower housed the families of the keepers stationed on the ‘rock’, along with the vital shore staff who ran the lighthouse tender supplying the light with provisions, tools and equipment.
The name Signal Tower comes from the signalling apparatus installed atop of the tower building that was used to communicate between the shore staff (the Master Of The Tender) and the keepers of the lighthouse, with an identical set of signalling apparatus installed atop the lighthouse itself. The Signal Tower was decommissioned in 1955 and became a museum in 1974.
The Bell Rock Lighthouse is the oldest existing rock lighthouse in the British Isles that is still an active lighthouse, and is the tower on the Bell, or Inchcape, rock. This is a long and treacherous reef lying in the North Sea, some 12 miles East of Dundee and in the fairway of vessels sailing to and from the Firths of Tay and Forth. On a clear day it is possible to see the lighthouse from the Signal Tower
Lunan Bay
Lunch was found for some of us at Lunan Bay on our way back towards Montrose for a prearranged afternoon visit to the Scottish Wildlife Trust Montrose Basin Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve.
SWT Montrose Basin Visitor Centre (Scottish Wildlife Trust)
Alison, the SWT Reserve Warden, welcomed us and was generous with her time spending almost an hour with us telling us about the work of the SWT on the reserve and helping us to identify the many birds which could be seen from the observation windows.
Wednesday, 24th August: St Vigeans Museum and Church, Forfar Meffan Institute Museum and Art Gallery
St Vigeans Museum (HES)
On day three we picked up once more on Pictish stones at the St Vigeans Museum which again was opened specially for us by Historic Environment Scotland. The HES museum guide who had come over from Arbroath Abbey was able to make many observations about details in the stones which were most illuminating.
For a second day, John Borland was pleased to join us and pass on his extensive knowledge of these stones. A recurring symbol on many of the stones is the ‘double disc’ and ‘Z-rod’ seen on the centre stone above and the fragment below.
St Vigeans Church
We then crossed the road and went up to the St Vigeans Church which Jim Menzies had kindly opened for us. The church was built in the 12th century, probably on the site of earlier places of worship, and has been extended and repaired up until the substantial renovation carried out by the architect, Robert Rowand Anderson, in 1871/72. At some point during these various interventions, some of the the Pictish stones which had been found in the vicinity were used in the walls.
Jim was keen to tell us about the history of the church and presented a clear and comprehensive review of the various changes to the church and its magnificent interior over the centuries.
The stained glass of the apse was installed soon after the the extensive renovations of the church in 1871/72 and represents the Nativity, the Baptism, The Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ.
On the west gallery there is a magnificent two-manual organ built by Messrs. Harrison of Durham which was installed at a cost of £395 in 1874, an unusually early date for a country church in Scotland. With a little bit of arm twisting, Jim persuaded Liz to play it for us.
Here is a short video of this ‘impromptu recital’:
As we were leaving the church grounds, Jim directed us to a gravestone, and suggested that we read the text carefully . . .
IF GUILT AND SIN AFFORD A PLEA
AND MAY OBTAIN A PLACE
SURELY THE LORD WILL WELCOME ME
AND I SHALL SEE HER FACE
The Meffan Institute, Forfar
From St Vigeans we drove to Forfar to visit the Meffan Institute which incorporates a museum and art gallery.
The museum houses a variety of exhibits of local interest in Angus, including a collection of Pictish stones, particularly the Dunnichen Stone and the Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones, as well as Roman and Medieval artefacts found in the local area, all with plenty of supporting information. Again there were familiar Pictish symbols and patterns.
The Dunnichen Pictish Symbol Stone
This excellent example of the 7th century symbol stones of the Picts was unearthed whilst a field was being ploughed. The Picts used symbols rather than written inscriptions but the symbols themselves are difficult to explain. The ‘double disk’ and the ‘Z-rod’ are common symbols, as are the ‘comb’ and ‘mirror’ at the foot of the stone, which are easily recognisable; the so-called ‘flower’ at the top is much rarer.
The symbols are deeply incised on one face of the stone, whilst the back is covered with plough marks.
The Kirriemuir Pictish Stones
All of the 18 Kirriemuir carved stones and fragments came from the site of the old parish church and churchyard in Kirriemuir, and they testify to the existence in the early medieval period of a strong local school of sculpture.
On the way back to the hotel in Montrose, some people visited Brechin to see the Cathedral, the associated Round Tower and, slightly further away, the Maison Dieu Chapel.
Brechin Cathedral
Brechin Cathedral dates from the 13th century. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, the church is not technically a cathedral, in spite of its name. The cathedral is temporarily closed with no information stating when it might open again. Therefore, we were not able to view the interior of the building, but we were able to walk around the grounds and see the round tower and the interesting features of the stonework.
Brechin Round Tower (HES)
Brechin Round Tower, 25m tall and nearly 5m wide, is one of only two Irish-style round towers still standing in Scotland; the other being in Abernethy in Perth & Kinross. A striking decoration around the first-floor doorway indicates Brechin Round Tower was built about AD 1100, but a date a century or so earlier cannot be ruled out.
Though it’s attached to the cathedral today, Brechin Round Tower predates the rest of the building. Brechin’s religious community probably dates back to at least the reign of Kenneth II (971-5), with the tower likely built a century or two later. The tower was free-standing until 1806, when it became connected to the south-west angle of the cathedral’s nave.
Its ornamental carved doorway, 2m above ground level, was the original entrance and was accessed by ladder. The tower is built with massive blocks of irregular sandstone, and probably originally had six storeys with wooden floors.
Maison Dieu Chapel, Brechin (HES)
The Maison Dieu Hospital was founded before 1267 by William de Brechin to serve Brechin’s poor. It seems to have still been in use in the 1700s but by the 1800s the chapel had been partially demolished and was in use as a stable.
Fragments of the associated chapel survive consisting of part of the south wall and a fragment of the east wall, worked in a pure and simple first pointed style, of great architectural value.
The south wall of the chapel preserves three narrow pointed lancet windows and a fine doorway, while the east gable of the church is shared with a neighbouring house. There is a piscina in the south wall but the details are damaged.
Thursday, 25th August: The House of Dun, Restenneth Priory and the White and Brown Caterthun Iron Age Hillforts
The House of Dun (National trust for Scotland)
Our last day began with a visit to the National Trust for Scotland’s House of Dun near Montrose on the north side of the Basin.
Built in 1743 to replace the medieval tower house that had been home to the Erskine family since 1375, it took 13 years to complete and the precision shows in the fine details. Designed with Georgian pride and baroque extravagance by renowned architect William Adam, House of Dun is every bit the perfect 18th-century laird’s home.
The house features particular symmetry, sometimes achieved through false doorways. There was also some very fine, but excessive (?) Baroque plasterwork.
Very fine embroidery embellished a number of rooms with very intricate curtain valances.
There were elegant gardens and an interesting woodland walk leading to the family mausoleum.
As this was the last of our formal, planned visits, we finished with a group photograph on the steps below the south facade of the house.
However, as people started to depart after lunch to make their way home, there was still time in the afternoon to visit the optional sites of either the Brown and White Caterthun Iron Age Forts to the north of Brechin or Restenneth Priory just to the east of Forfar.
The Brown and White Caterthun Iron Age Forts (HES)
The Brown and White Caterthuns are a pair of large hill forts sitting about 1km apart on adjacent hills overlooking Strathmore. Both are enclosed by a series of earthworks, and it is likely they had multiple functions, serving both as military and ceremonial centres. Indeed, they could be regarded as one site with two summits.
White Caterthun Fort
The White Caterthun, on the west, is dominated by an oval fort consisting of a massive dry-stone wall with a well or cistern in the middle. The light-coloured stone wall gives the White Caterthun its name.
The photos below show part of the dry-stone wall on the summit of the White Caterthun consisting of a double stone wall, probably timber-laced, with earthen outer defences.
The inner wall, which probably measured about 12m in thickness, has an entrance on the south east, and encloses an area 150m by 70m, in which are a well, probably contemporary with the fort, and a relatively modern, rectangular structure of turf.
A broken cup marked stone lies on the west side of the white fort, between the outer stone wall and the inner earthen rampart.
Brown Caterthun Fort
The Brown Caterthun, on the east, consists of a series of earthen embankments. There is little evidence of settlement, agriculture or water supply here, so the purpose of the earthworks is uncertain.
Both Caterthuns show several entrances to the summit that radiate outwards, like the spokes on a wheel. The significance of these entrances, if any, is unknown, but they may have aligned with geographical features that no longer exist, such as other settlements. From radio-carbon dating, the Brown Caterthun appears to have been built and modified over several centuries in the latter half of the first millennium BC. Parts of the White Caterthun may have been contemporary with the Brown Caterthun, but it is believed that the main stone wall was built by the Picts or their progenitors in the first few centuries AD.
Restenneth Priory (HES)
The earliest masonry at Restenneth Priory dates to the 1100s, though it may well stand on the site of an ancient Pictish church built around 710. Alexander I had the annals of Iona transferred to this site in the 1100s, and Robert the Bruce buried his young son Prince John here in the 1300s.
We had a very successful and informative four days and were fortunate with the weather with little rain and having an excellent hotel in The George in Montrose as a base for our visits. We were also fortunate that Historic Environment Scotland managed to arrange to open the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum and the St Vigeans Museum specially for us and that John Borland was able and happy to join us and pass on his extensive knowledge of sculptured stones, and we thank them all for this.
Also we must thank Jim Menzies who opened the St Vigeans Church for us and who took the time to tell us about the history and development of the church over the centuries.
Overall, a very interesting area to explore and everyone seemed to have enjoyed the variety of places visited; at least, no-one told me that they hadn’t!
Photographs and text supplied by Lesley Whitwood and Ian Stewart
Breadalbane Heritage Society 
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