450 



attention of the parish minister, who had it cleaned, and a 

 drawing of it taken. The material is a very coarse free-stone. 

 The dimensions, five feet one inch in length, by two feet eleven 

 inches broad, thickness fully four inches. It is carved on one 

 side only. The emblematical devices are three figures on horse- 

 back, a greyhound, a wild boar, a serpent, or dragon ; and the 

 peculiar spectacle device 



like that on other old monuments in the north of Scotland. 

 To these I do not refer at present ; my business being with the 

 inscription. Professor Stuart makes it probable that this mo- 

 nument commemorates the assassination of King Kenneth III., 

 in the year 994. His Majesty is said, by our historians, to 

 have been assassinated at the instigation of Finele, " daughter," 

 says the Professor, " of Cruchne, Maormor of Angus." This 

 should be the Cruithne (Pictish) Maormor of Angus. The 

 royal residence was at Kincardine. In the neighbourhood are 

 Strath-Finella and Den-Finella. In this case, history is con- 

 firmed by tradition and topographical etymology. A drawing 

 of the fragmentary inscription will be found in the Archceolo- 

 gia Scotica, vol. ii. p. 315. 



" There has been another line, if not more, above what re- 

 mains, and I do not pretend to be able to decipher that with 

 certainty ; but it strikes me that it looks like Kenkardin or 

 Kinkardin, the name of the royal residence. It is to be ob- 

 served that the costiime of the human figures on this monu- 



