Rodney's Stone

Forres, United Kingdom

Rodney's Stone is a two-metre high Pictish cross slab now located close on the approach way to Brodie Castle, near Forres. It was originally found nearby in the grounds of the old church of Dyke and Moy. It is classed as a Class II Pictish stone, meaning that it has a cross on one face, and symbols on the other. On the symbols face, at the top, are two fish monsters; below is a 'Pictish Beast', and below that a double disc and z-rod. On the cross face there is a cross and some animals.

The stone is most notable, however, for its inscription, which is found on both of the sides and on the cross face. It is the longest of all Pictish inscriptions, and like most Pictish inscriptions, is written in the Ogham alphabet. Much of the inscription is weathered, but it does contain the Pictish name Ethernan (a prominent Pictish saint), written as EDDARRNON.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Unnamed Road, Forres, United Kingdom

See all sites in Forres

Details

Founded: 500-800 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Brodie Castle (0,5 km)
Dallas Dhu distillery (5,2 km)
Sueno's Stone (6,5 km)

Elgin Cathedral (24,3 km)
Dornoch Cathedral (37 km)
Dornoch Castle (37 km)
Cawdor Castle (15,7 km)
Dunrobin Castle (45,1 km)
Burghead Pictish Fort (16,9 km)
Clava Cairns (26,1 km)
Ballindalloch Castle (28,6 km)
Culloden Battlefield (27,1 km)

User Reviews

Leanda Denton (17 months ago)
Interesting piece of history, amazing age..Will worth a look even just to get that feeling of ancestors and their lives

Hayley Stanley (2 years ago)
Amazing to just come across free history like this! We only stopped as our curiosity was caught from a brown sign - so like all good stories we followed it to the stone! (lots of parking and although an end road there is a large turn around and good assesibility) It is a fascinating piece of history, and there are some information boards next to it. I appreciated seeing it under its original sky and not the lights of a museum.

Tris Gilbert (2 years ago)
Amazing stone that experts are still debating about what the pictures on it actually mean

David Bruce (3 years ago)
Astonishingly detailed, Trajan inspired carved obelisk like column which already an established landmark when the (real) King Macbeth ruled in Alba-Scotland from Forres

Judith Jamieson (3 years ago)
Stunning! Amazing to see and just look at history. Would recommend a visit

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Timeless Treasures of Wales

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Photo from Flickr, copyright Drew de F Fawkes

Historic Site of the week

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.

The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.