Carved stone · Pictish & early medieval · Highland

Poolewe Stone

Open access · Easy going

Photo: Richard Dorrell / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Poolewe Stone lies in the churchyard where its crescent carving can still be read. The Poolewe Stone is a Class I Pictish stone, an early-medieval carved symbol stone, discovered in the cemetery at Poolewe in Wester Ross.

Its main sign is a crescent and V-rod. Within the crescent, chiseled hollows and twin spirals meet to form a pelta-like shape, giving a small stone a crisp symbolic focus.

What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.

History

The Poolewe Stone was discovered in 1992 in the cemetery at Poolewe.

It belongs to the Class I group of Pictish symbol stones.

The carving shows a crescent and V-rod.

Hollows and two spirals are chiseled inside the crescent.

The meeting spirals form a pelta-like shape.

The stone lies today in the churchyard.

Connections

  • Poolewe cemetery

    Discovery place and present setting.

  • Wester Ross

    Regional setting of the stone.

  • Pictish symbol stone tradition

    Artistic tradition represented by the crescent and V-rod.

What to look for

  • Crescent and V-rod

    Main carved symbol on the stone.

  • Twin spirals

    Two spirals meet within the crescent.

  • Churchyard setting

    The stone remains in the cemetery landscape.

Plan your visit

Location
57.7669°N · 5.6056°W
Access
Open access
Terrain
Easy going

Opening & admission

  • Stone lies in Poolewe churchyard.

Nearby places

Questions people ask

What is the Poolewe Stone?
It is a Class I Pictish symbol stone.
When was it discovered?
It was discovered in 1992.
Where is it now?
It lies in the churchyard at Poolewe.
What symbol does it carry?
It carries a crescent and V-rod with internal hollows and spirals.

Sources

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