Most Pictish stones were carved over a thousand years ago, and the discovery of this stone near Caithness in 2022 shows that some remain buried in the Scottish landscape.
In August 2022, a Pictish stone was discovered in St Martin’s Burial Ground in Ulbster, Caithness, by a member of the public. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) awarded grant funding to Yarrows Heritage to enable the cleaning and conservation of the stone. Today, Friday 13 June, the restored stone will be unveiled at North Coast Visitor Centre museum by Lord Thurso.
The stone is an important example of Pictish art and helps strengthen the connection of the local community to the area’s Pictish past. As a Class 1 stone, it features no clear Christian iconography, and dates between the 6th-8th century. The meaning and significance of the carvings on Pictish Class 1 stones are still being unlocked by modern historians and archaeologists. This discovery is expected to help local experts develop further understanding of this heritage and enhance a sense of place and local pride for the residents of Caithness.
The newly discovered stone is to be named ‘Ulbster 2 Stone’ and will sit in the museum beside the first Ulbster Stone, which was discovered in 1770 in the same burial ground. Both stones form part of the North Coast Visitor Centre’s Stone Room collection, where they will remain on permanent display.
Roland Spencer-Jones, Chair of Yarrows Heritage, said:
“This is an important day for Caithness archaeology, when another newly discovered Pictish stone gets added to the stunning collection of Pictish art already in the North Coast Visitor Centre. We are grateful to all our funders in providing the funds to rescue this stone and allow it to be displayed in the museum.”
Dr Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at HES, said:
Strengthening communities’ connection to their local heritage is at the heart of our grant programmes, and we are pleased to support the conservation of the Ulbster 2 Stone, and ensure its future in a local museum.
“Yarrows Heritage have safeguarded this important artefact through working with stone conservators and local curators and have ensured the local community will benefit from the Stone and the story it can help to tell"
About Yarrows Heritage
Yarrows Heritage SCIO is a small and active archaeology and heritage society based just south of Wick in Caithness. Over its 23 year history it has undertaken many seasons of excavation at local sites, as well as owning and managing a heritage railway station and a community woodland, and is now managing the rescue of a newly discovered Pictish stone.
About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
- We are the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. It is at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future, investigating and recording architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes across Scotland and caring for more than 300 properties of national importance. We are also the lead on delivering Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.
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