The so-called Font Stone is located on the ridge of Monks Rig on the South side of Cap Law in the Pentland Hills, South-west of Castle Law hillfort and West of the Gowk Stane.
The Font Stone, Looking East
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Despite its appearance, the Font Stone is not, in fact, a font stone, but the base of a now disappeared medieval cross-shaft, similar to the one in the Bathgate Hills at Craigmailing. The stone is around 3 by 2 feet in horizontal cross-section, and around 1 foot high.
The Font Stone from the South-west
The Font Stone from the North-east
Allegedly, the topmost fragment of the cross itself was discovered at the bottom of Monks Rig in 1808, but nothing is known as to its current location, if it still exists intact. Furthermore, it is said that two local shepherds, on lifting the stone, discovered some copper coins lying beneath it in 1833, but again, nothing is now known of their location or provenance.
The Font Stone from the South-east
The Font Stone from the North-west
There does not appear to have been a church in the immediate vicinity, but, like the cross at Craigmailing, was probably a solitary structure for use in preaching to the general community, associated with a local church elsewhere. Further clues to the provenance of the stone include the name of the ridge it sits on, Monks Rig, and the stream which flows along the Southern foot of Cap Law, the Monks Burn.