Aberlemno Sculptured Stones

The Aberlemno Sculptured Stones are a group of Pictish standing stones near the village of Aberlemno in Angus. Three of the stones stand beside the road in recesses in a dry-stone wall, while another stands in the kirkyard 300 yards away. A fifth stone, found in 1962, is displayed indoors in Dundee. The stones date from the early medieval period and carry carved symbols and scenes that scholars still puzzle over. Their carvings mark them as Class I or Class II Pictish stones. Aberlemno 1 shows incised symbols such as a serpent and a mirror, while Aberlemno 2 bears a high cross with knotwork and a detailed battle scene on the reverse. Aberlemno 3 carries a ringed cross flanked by angels and a hunting scene beneath two Pictish symbols. The carvings have been dated to the mid-9th century after earlier estimates. Visitors can walk along the roadside to see the stones set in their original positions. The kirkyard stone stands tall among graves, its west face carved with a cross and its rear showing Pictish symbols and a narrative of armed figures. The roadside stones are covered each winter to protect them from weathering, but the rest of the year they remain exposed to view.