What is recorded here

Roscam holds a small sandstone slab where a crude cross was punched through solid rock. The maker may have been in a hurry or working blind, yet the marks still cut deep enough to catch a thumb in darkness. That much force suggests the cross mattered more than beauty.

This small early Christian sandstone cross-slab (H 0.4m; base Wth 0.38m; T 0.14m) is embedded in the ground in the graveyard (GA094-072003-) within the early ecclesiastical enclosure (GA094-072002-) at Roscam. The slab is roughly subrectangular in plan and rounded across the top. It bears a deeply incised but crudely punched single-line equal-armed cross. The arms (Wth c. 0.1m) appear to expand slightly towards the terminals. Another similar cross-slab (GA094-072015-) is also associated with this site. The following image has been uploaded: GA094-072012-_03 Compiled by: Olive Alcock Updated by: Olive Alcock Date of revised upload: 23 March 2023

This cross-slab dates to the early Christian period, likely between the 7th and 10th centuries AD, and was probably used as a grave marker or commemorative monument within a monastic or ecclesiastical site. Its presence in a graveyard suggests a religious function, possibly associated with Christian burial practices or local saints.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.