Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM3016_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600009147)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises an upright stone cross slab and an area around it where there is high potential for human burials. The stone probably dates to between AD 700 and 1000, while burial at the site may have begun earlier in the 1st millennium AD. The stone is a large rectangular slab, aligned N-S. It stands approximately 2.5m high and measures 0.8m by 0.25m at the base. The E and W faces of the stone each bear an incised cross with round hollow angles between the arms; weathering has affected the visibility of the cross shaft on the W face. Historical sources contain repeated references to discoveries of human bone made near the stone in the 18th and 19th centuries, including bone found within a stone cist, reportedly with simple crosses carved on the end slabs. The stone stands on a low rise to the E of Alloa, at about 20m above sea level.

The scheduled area is rectangular on plan, measuring 20m N-S by 14m E-W, to include the remains described above and an area around them in which evidence for the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area extends no more than 4m to the W of the stone because old maps indicate there was a quarry beyond here in the late 19th century. The monument was first scheduled in 1970, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance as an example of a large and impressive cross slab associated with a cemetery known from historical sources. The cross slab is an impressive stone in its own right and has the capacity to add significantly to our appreciation and understanding of the past. There is also high potential for the presence of buried archaeological deposits and features, including further human burials, in the vicinity of the stone. This monument therefore has high potential to enhance our understanding of early medieval religious and funerary activities, specifically the relationship between carved stones and cemeteries, and can also inform our knowledge of the population that used the associated cemetery. The loss of this example would impede our ability to understand the use and function of stone cross slabs in eastern Scotland.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.