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<< Our Photo Pages >> Macduff's Cross - Early Christian Sculptured Stone in Scotland in Fife

Submitted by cosmic on Wednesday, 15 February 2006  Page Views: 9951

Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: Macduff's Cross Alternative Name: Ninewells.
Country: Scotland County: Fife Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone
 Nearest Village: Newburgh
Map Ref: NO227167
Latitude: 56.336331N  Longitude: 3.251898W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
2 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
3

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Macduff's Cross
Macduff's Cross submitted by cosmic : Top with "cupmarks" (Vote or comment on this photo)
Early Christian Sculptured Stone in Fife

In an excellent postion overlooking the Firth of Tay, there remains only the base of this cross which may be as old as the 8-10th Century. In the 1850's the local council surrounded it by a kerb of boulders.

There are eight cupmarks on the top but they may be due to natural weathering of the sandstone block.

It is just across the minor road from Ninewells Farm which does B&B!
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Macduff's Cross
Macduff's Cross submitted by cosmic : From North with suspect mound behind. (Report in 1800's suggested mound contained paving). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Macduff's Cross
Macduff's Cross submitted by cosmic : From West (Vote or comment on this photo)

Macduff's Cross
Macduff's Cross submitted by cosmic : From South with Firth of Tay behind (Vote or comment on this photo)

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
NO2216 : Macduff's Cross by Becky Williamson
by Becky Williamson
©2019(licence)
NO2216 : Macduff's Cross by James Allan
by James Allan
©2007(licence)
NO2216 : MacDuff's Cross, near Newburgh by Euan Nelson
by Euan Nelson
©2013(licence)
NO2216 : Cross and Tay by A A Lang
by A A Lang
©2009(licence)
NO2216 : A lane crossing the Woodriffe Road by Stanley Howe
by Stanley Howe
©2014(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 1.5km N 352° Mugdrum Class III Pictish Cross Slab (NO22531819)
 1.5km NNE 22° Laing's Museum, Newburgh* Museum (NO233181)
 3.3km E 95° Lindores* Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO25951634)
 3.7km W 264° Abernethy Symbol Stone* Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO18991638)
 3.8km W 270° Abernethy Circle Stone Circle (NO189168)
 3.9km W 260° Abernethy Den* Stone Circle (NO188161)
 4.6km N 352° Grey Stone (St Madoes)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NO22172131)
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 6.3km S 177° Auchtermuchty Cursus Cursus (NO22951043)
 6.6km S 188° Strathmiglo* Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO2166810219)
 7.4km ESE 117° Newton of Collessie Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO292132)
 7.5km ESE 117° Collessie* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NO293132)
 9.1km S 181° Kilgour Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO223076)
 9.4km WNW 285° Gask House Class II Pictish Symbol Stone (NO13661933)
 9.4km WNW 285° Boar Stone* Class III Pictish Cross Slab (NO13661933)
 9.4km NNW 342° Evelick Hill Fort* Hillfort (NO199257)
 9.4km NNW 327° Commonbank SE Stone Circle (NO177247)
 9.4km WNW 285° Moncrieffe* Stone Circle (NO13601933)
 9.5km N 349° Kilspindie* Stone Circle (NO2112826053)
 9.6km WNW 289° Moredun Top Hillfort (NO13621999)
 9.6km NNW 326° Commonbank* Stone Row / Alignment (NO17502484)
 9.6km NNW 326° Commonbank* Stone Circle (NO1748824837)
 9.7km SSE 164° Westfield Farm Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO25260735)
 9.8km WNW 284° Moncrieffe Timber Circle (NO132193)
 10.1km WNW 287° Moncreiffe Hill* Hillfort (NO13131988)
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"Macduff's Cross" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Re: Macduff''s Cross by Anonymous on Saturday, 04 March 2023
To Anon - interesting tie in with Irish early pagan/christian practice. However, they''re surviving German maps of the 1600s that labelled the rock as macduff cross and have a drawing of cross on top. At the time more local knowledge and oral/written history would be accessed to support that. Legend has it being destroyed by John Knox followers, which would be consistent with their distaste for it being the symbol and legal witness to laws and character that who enthrone and protect a French-Catholic royal line, that they protested so much. Doesnt it seem likely this rock has had alter-egos through the years? Pagan, Culdee-Irish, Roman-Catholic, and ruin-post Protests.. Piles of rocks also were typical burial techniques after stoning the pretender. Which a few examples of legal protection use of the Duff privilege are written into more formal cases, where possibly defense was made to move a case to Fife courts and the defense effectively raised. The stone piles are said to reflect local snap-judgement of a person not being recognized by the Chief. Stone piles remain as a sign of the power of the Chief. the weight of a 3'' x 3'' x 3'' stone is quite high - do so say they rotated a smaller stone on top. The rainwater healing powers are even found in native Americans, as the water is directly from heaven without touching the earth - it is pure.
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Re: Macduff's Cross by Anonymous on Tuesday, 05 June 2012
Combine the description of MacDuff's Cross by J Stuart in 1856;- "The top, marked with distinct cups (formed by the weathering out of nodules of iron pyrites) from 1 1/2 to 3ins in width and from 1/2 to 1 1/2 ins in depth, is slightly hollowed although there is no indication of a socket, despite the current story that the cross itself was thrown down and destroyed by Reformers in 1559" with that of the "Cursing Stone" found on the Isle of Canna which is a round stone with an early Christian cross engraved on it, also known as a bullaun stone, is believed to be the first of its type to be found in Scotland, and was discovered by chance in an old graveyard on the island.

More commonly found in Ireland, the stones were used by ancient Christian pilgrims, who would turn them either while praying or when laying a curse, and were often to be found on sacred pilgrim routes. Traditionally, the pilgrim would turn the stone clockwise, wearing a depression or hole in a bigger “socket” stone underneath and the convention was for these stones to be turned multiple times by worshippers when either praying for or possibly cursing someone. In Ireland, folklore attached magical significance to bullaun stones, such as the belief that rainwater collected in the stone’s hollow could have healing properties. The St Brigit’s Stone in County Cavan in Ireland was used as a “cursing stone”, and locals would turn the stone while cursing a sworn enemy.

The "Cups" on the MacDuff's Cross stone, not formed by the weathering out of nodules of iron pyrites as suggested by Stuart, but by the turning of a number of "Cursing Stones" and perhaps the investigation of graves at Lindores Abbey and other nearby Christian sites might reveal cursing stones which the pilgrims would have taken with them to their graves as such a thing would have been so much a part of their lives and such a personal object that no other pilgrim would dare to use it.
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