Cross-inscribed stone

The National Monuments Service's description

The following description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload/revision: 17 July 2007

Locally known as the 'Soldier's Stone', embedded in S bank of the roadway c. a quarter of a mile E of Blakestown crossroads. It is a large, almost oval slab (max. L 1.92m, max. Wth 1.12m, T 0.04m) with rough surfaces and irregular edges. The decoration, which is confined to one end of the stone, consists of a broadly incised Latin cross with its head contained within a finely cut circle. The arms splay gradually towards their extremities and the top and base of the stem have pronounced irregularly-shaped splays. The basal portion of the stem has a crosslet with arms of unequal length. There are three small Latin crosses faintly incised on the stone close to the base of the main cross. (CLAJ 1946, 105; PRIA 61C, figs 13:3 and 28:5, pl. XXI:1)