A red sandstone slab stands among the graves at Edderton with riders and crosses cut into its faces. The Edderton Cross Slab is a Class III Pictish stone, an early-medieval carved Christian monument, in the old graveyard of Edderton in Easter Ross.
One side carries an elegant Celtic cross; the other shows another cross above a horseman, with two more riders below. The slab was once sunk deeper in the ground, hiding part of the carving until it was raised to a more likely original height.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
The Edderton Cross Slab was carved as an early-medieval Christian monument.
It stands in the old graveyard at Edderton in Easter Ross.
One face carries an undecorated Celtic cross with ring details left in relief.
The opposite face shows a cross above a horseman and two lower riders.
The stone was formerly sunk deeper in the earth, concealing the lower horsemen.
Further early-medieval cross-slab fragments from Edderton churchyard are preserved in Tain Museum.
Connections
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Edderton old graveyard
Present setting of the cross slab.
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Tain Museum
Holds related Edderton cross-slab fragments.
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Photo: sylvia duckworth / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 Clach Biorach
Nearby Edderton symbol stone that should not be confused with this slab.
What to look for
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Western cross
Elegant cross with ring details in relief.
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Eastern riders
Horseman in relief with two incised riders below.
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Raised lower face
Lack of lichen shows where the slab was formerly buried.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.8336°N · 4.1733°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
- Stone stands in the old graveyard at Edderton.
Nearby places
Sacred place · Medieval
Dornoch Cathedral
Highland
It has served as a place of worship for eight centuries, from the seat of the medieval Bishops of Caithness to a working Church of Scotland parish…
Questions people ask
- What is the Edderton Cross Slab?
- It is a Class III Pictish stone, an early-medieval carved Christian monument.
- Where is it?
- It stands in the old graveyard at Edderton.
- Is it the same as Clach Biorach?
- No. Clach Biorach is a separate symbol stone near Edderton.
- What is carved on it?
- It carries crosses and horsemen on its two faces.
Sources
Explore more: Carved stones · Pictish & early medieval · Highland
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