Woodrae Castle
Site type: Class II cross slab
Parish: Aberlemno
County: Angus
Grid reference: NO 5185 5663
Lat / long: 56.6987592949438, -2.7871809581061
Alternative names: Woodrae; Woodray; Woodwrae; Woodwray
This stone (along with a now lost second) was discovered when the site of Woodrae Castle was cleared in 1819. They had apparently been used in the kitchen floor. This stone was presented to Sir Walter Scott, whose descendant Lt Col Maxwell-Scott of Abbotsford donated it to the National Museum in 1924, where it now stands.
The front has a carved cross filled with knotwork and spirals, with the four panels filled with various animals. The rear face has two mounted figures, a double disc symbol, more animals and a section that has suffered some damage.
Stylistically the stone is so similar to the Aberlemno stones that it's considered likely that this is where it originally came from.
The stone measures around 1.68m tall, and narrows from 1.00m wide at the base to 0.78m wide at the top. The slab is around 0.13m thick.
