Dunbeath Heritage Centre

Ionad-Dualchais Dhùn Bheathadh

Ballachly Cross Slab

Leac Croise Bhaile a’ Chlaidh

An inscribed stone, dating from the 7th century AD, with a Christian cross and details which may represent the sun, moon and stars. The discovery of the stone at nearby Chapel Hill in 1996 confirmed Chapel Hill as a significant early Christian site.

The stone is displayed in Dunbeath Heritage Centre where visitors can journey to the past, places and people of Dunbeath through the centre’s unique collections, displays and local history archives. Unearth the history of Dunbeath’s ancient landscape and earliest peoples right up to the nineteenth century and the expansion of Dunbeath village and harbour.

Dunbeath is also the birthplace of celebrated Scottish author Neil Gunn and the Heritage Centre has a large collection of material relating to Gunn and his work.

Further information

This style of cross is more often seen on stones from Iona and Ireland. The carved spokes may represent stars, with the curved hooks symbolising the sun and the moon. The hook may also stand for the P-shaped Greek letter ‘Rho’ which was often combined with the cross to form Chi-Rho, the first letters of Christ’s name in Greek. The fish was another early symbol of Christ and the carving between the top and right arms of the cross possibly has this meaning.

Fragments of a sculpted cross have also been found in the vicinity. These date in style from the 8th century AD. The carving is of high quality, again suggesting that, even a century later, this was an important religious site.

https://www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk/4-chapel-hill-ballachly

https://her.highland.gov.uk/Monument/MHG54604