Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandMoyleKille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone
E.CHRIST. · CROSS-CARVED STONE

Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone

Moyle, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 602
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
CROSS-CARVED STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 602
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
D0859838179
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Kille-acrue is a cross-carved pillar stone located in Moyle, Northern Ireland. Known locally as the Priests Stone, this early Christian monument consists of a standing stone bearing an incised cross carved into its surface. The stone rests upon bedrock formed from Palaeogene mafic lavas and tuffs, which underlie this part of the Antrim plateau. Such carved stones represent an important phase of early Christian settlement and religious practice in medieval Ulster, typically marking sacred sites, burial grounds, or routes associated with monastic communities. The stone's simple but enduring cross design reflects the earliest Christian artistic tradition in the region, predating more elaborate carved monuments. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 602, recognising its significance as evidence of Christianity's establishment in the north of Ireland.

Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 602. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone?

Kille-acrue is a cross-carved pillar stone located in Moyle, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 602.

What period does Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone date from?

Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a cross-carved stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone?

Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 602.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (2.3 km), Cashel with souterrain (3 km), Carn an truagh, knocklayd. megalithic tomb, possibly passage tomb (3.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone

Kille-acrue, kilcrue. priests stone. cross-carved pillar stone stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.