Notes on Lulach's Stone, Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire; a Symbol Stone recently found in Mortlach Churchyard, Banffshire; and other Antiquities

Abstract

The standing stone is said to mark the place where Lulach, stepson of Macbeth, was overtaken and killed after his father's defeat and death at Lumphanan (15th August 1057). The upper symbol on the stone is the familiar 'elephant' while the other is indecipherable. The church is believed to have its origins in the 6th century. The nearby 'Battle Stone' has on one side a Celtic cross between two fish-like monsters facing each other on top and a grotesque beast at the base, while on the other side are a bird, a serpent, and an ox's skull, and a horseman with his hound. A stone in Botriphnie churchyard, Banffshire has an incised cross of the equal armed, wheeled and shafted type. The contents from a midden at the monastery on St Serf's Island, Lochleven are described along with the topography of Balcastle Motte.