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MHG9801 - Cross slab, Loth Burn, Lothbeg

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Full Description

NC90NE 1 9525 0993.
Cross Slab found AD 1869 (NAT) OS 6"map, (1964)

A sculptured stone was found 1869 during construction of Lothbeg railway cutting. It is a portion of an upright cross-slab of purple sandstone, sculptured in relief on 3 sides.
Front: The left arm of a cross with circular hollows between arms, ornamental with interlaced work with traces of interlaced work on the background.
Back: The right arm of a cross with square stepped hollows in the angles between the arms and a circular ring connecting them. The arm is ornamental with a key pattern, the circular ring with a sort of cable and the background with interlaced work.
Left Side: Triangular interlaced work. It measures 1ft 7ins long, 1ft wide and 5.5 ins thick. Metric measurement - 0.5m (base) x 0.37m x 0.39m (other two sides) x 0.15m (thick).
Now in Dunrobin Museum. No.21.
J R Allen and J Anderson 1903; RCAHMS 1911.

This cross slab is still in Dunrobin Museum. (Acc No. 1869.6) See NC80SE 46-18 Visited by OS (N K B) 23 April 1976.

Lothbeg, Sutherland, cross-slab fragment
Measurements: H 0.48m, W 0.31m, D 0.14m
Stone type: purple sandstone
Place of discovery: BC 9525 0993
Present location: Dunrobin Museum, Dunrobin Castle.
Evidence for discovery: found in 1869 during the construction of the railway cutting west of Lothbeg station, on the east side of the Loth Burn a short distance from the seashore.
Present condition: broken and worn.
Description:
This fragment belongs to one side of the slab and exhibits three carved faces, all worked in relief. Each of the broad faces bears the terminal of the side-arm of a cross, while the narrow face bears triangular interlace pattern, and the slab had a narrow plain flatband moulding along each edge. One of the crosses has a ring, and this is likely to be face A, in which case the fragment comes from the right-hand edge of the slab. Enough survives to show that the cross is edged with a roll moulding, the side-arm terminal is rectangular and the centre has a square, making stepped armpits. The side arm contains key pattern, the ring is ornamented with cable work and a triquetra fills the space between ring and armpit. There are also traces of knotwork above the side arm face. Face C bears a rectangular left-hand side arm outlined with roll moulding and infilled with interlace. The rounded arm pit contains a small boss, and there are traces of interlace below the side arm.
Date: ninth or tenth century.
References: ECMS pt 3, 54.
Compiled by A Ritchie 2016, Early Medieval Carved Stones Project

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 9525 0992 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC90NE
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND

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