Dunfallandy

NN 946564   53   HS   PH16 5NA

www.historicenvironment.scot

On minor road south of A9, 1 mile S of Pitlochry, Perthshire

This intriguing Class 2 cross-slab was moved in the late 19th century from the old chapel at Killiecrankie to its present location outside Dunfallandy House. The front shows a full-length cross, beautifully carved and decorated with spirals, knotwork and bosses, although the central panel is mysteriously blank. A whole menagerie of strange creatures surrounds the cross, including two four-winged angels and a sea-monster with a pair of human legs emerging from its jaws. The back is framed by two fish-tailed serpents, holding a human head between their jaws at the apex of the slab. The top third of the stone contains two seated figures facing each other over a small cross. The slightly smaller figure on the left has a Pictish beast above its head; the right-hand figure sits beneath a double disc and crescent and v-rod. The middle third shows a mounted figure riding from left to right, with another crescent and v-rod and Pictish beast in front. The bottom third shows a hammer, an anvil and a set of tongs. Does this represent a marriage of two families, with the offspring below inheriting one of each of the parents symbols? Do the blacksmith’s tools represent the profession, or are they an allegory for the forging of new bonds?

NOTE: Open all year – enclosed in protective glass case

© Martin Coventry 2018