MHG14279 - Findspot of cross base - Newhall Point, Balblair
Summary
A low rectangular cross base carved from a single slab, with a socket penetrating right through the stone. It was found in a cottage garden adjacent to the site of a medieval chapel at Newhall Point, Balblair in 1986.
Type and Period (3)
- (Former Type) CARVED STONE (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD? to 1559 AD?)
- FINDSPOT (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD? to 1559 AD?)
- (Former Type) SOCKETED STONE (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD? to 1559 AD?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A local resident "has reported the discovery of a rectangular masoned stone, some 0.6m by 0.4m by 0.12m with a central rectangular slot cut out of it, some 0.22m by 0.1m in size. It was found during gardening at the back of her property which abuts the recent excavations at Balblair, NH 709670."
"I was passing the area the day before I went on holiday so called in to see her. The stone looks to me like a very small version of the Broad Stone in Inverness. In the meantime she has also found a masoned piece of sandstone, tooled on five sides, which with a bit of imagination looks as if it could have come from a free standing cross." <1>
Thie rectangular masoned stone is possibly the stone support for a free standing cross. <2>
Balblair, Ross and Cromarty, cross-base
Measurements: H 0.30m, L 1.70m, W 0.41m
Stone type: sandstone
Place of discovery: NH 709 670
Present location: Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie.
Evidence for discovery: found in 1986 buried in the garden of Moonraker’s Cottage, Newhall Point, Balblair, near the site of a medieval chapel. Taken to Groam House Museum in 2003.
Present condition: good.
Description:
This is a low rectangular cross-base carved from a single slab, with a socket penetrating right through the stone. The socket is also rectangular and measures 0.23m by 0.09m and is surrounded by a slightly raised plain border some 0.08m wide with a notch at one end of the socket.
Date: uncertain.
References: DES 1986, 15.
Early Medieval Carved Stones Project, A Ritchie 2017
Note; Cross base in the care of Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie. See MHG62269 for cross arm found in same garden. See MHG40739 for burial ground site. (T.Blackie 3/6/21)
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG23282 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Historic Environment Scotland. Canmore. 272692.
- <1> SHG24724 Text/Correspondence: Harden, J. 1986. Letter from Jill Harden to Robert Gourlay, Highland Council.
- <2> SHG1157 Text/Publication/Serial: Proudfoot, E V W and Proudfoot, B E (eds). 1986. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1986. p 15.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 70913 67074 (24m by 24m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH76NW |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | RESOLIS |
Finds (1)
- CROSS? (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD? to 1559 AD?)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/des/index.cfm (View Discovery and Excavation volumes from 1947 to 2003 on Archaeology Data Service website)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/272692 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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