A carved standing stone rests in woodland on the north slope of Hunter’s Hill. The Hunter’s Hill Stone is a Pictish cross-slab, an early-medieval slab where cross carving was added to an older symbol stone, probably still close to its original setting.
Hunter’s Hill matters because the stone appears to have been reused. It began as a natural symbol stone and was later carved with relief on the back, a rare pattern also seen at nearby Glamis Manse.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
The Hunter's Hill Stone is also known as the Glamis 1 Stone.
The stone probably stands in situ on Hunter's Hill.
It began as a carved natural stone and was later given relief carving on the back.
The only other stone described in the source as reused in this way is the Glamis Manse Stone.
The stone is classified as a Class II Pictish stone.
It belongs to the Aberlemno School of Pictish sculpture.
People
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Lloyd Laing
Extended the Aberlemno School grouping that includes Hunter's Hill.
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John Romilly Allen and Joseph Anderson
Their Pictish-stone classes are used to describe the stone.
Connections
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Photo: Simon Burchell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Glamis Manse Stone
Nearby Glamis 2 stone and the closest comparison for reuse.
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Glamis
Village northwest of the woodland site.
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Aberlemno School
Stylistic group that includes several Angus stones.
What to look for
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Woodland setting
The stone stands in woodland just south of the A94 near Glamis.
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Reused carving
The slab combines earlier incised symbol carving with later relief carving.
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Class II form
Class II stones usually combine Christian cross imagery with Pictish symbols.
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Glamis pair
Hunter's Hill and Glamis Manse form a close local pair.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 56.6068°N · 2.9893°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
- Woodland standing stone near Glamis; use responsible access and expect uneven ground.
Nearby places
Fortified place · Medieval
Glamis Castle
Angus
Home of the Lyon family since the fourteenth century, Glamis binds a medieval tower house to royal births, a notorious witchcraft trial and some of…
- Easy path
Carved stone · Pictish & early medieval
St Orland's Stone
Angus
The stone is a Class II Pictish cross-slab - worked Old Red Sandstone carved in relief on both faces, bearing Pictish symbols alongside a Christian…
- Near Forfar
- 15 min walk from car park
- Easy path
Questions people ask
- What is the Hunter's Hill Stone?
- It is a reused Pictish standing stone southeast of Glamis village.
- Is it in its original place?
- The source says the stone is probably in situ.
- Why is it unusual?
- It seems to have begun as a natural symbol stone and later received relief carving on the back.
- Which nearby stone is related?
- The Glamis Manse Stone is the other noted example of this reuse pattern.
Sources
Explore more: Carved stones · Pictish & early medieval · Angus
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