Hilton of Cadboll Chapel

The remains of Hilton of Cadboll Chapel suggest it was a simple, rectangular medieval chapel. There is a tradition of the site being used for the burial of unbaptised infants until the end of the 1800s. By 1856 the chapel was being used as a shed.

Today only the turfed footing of the chapel can be seen at the site, which passed into state care in 1978.

The Pictish cross-slab which once stood near the chapel was carved around AD 800. But it soon snapped at the base and toppled over. It was re-erected and stood until 1674, when it broke again thanks to strong wind.

Two years later, a man named Alexander Duff had the stone reworked for use as a grave slab. The cross on one side was defaced and replaced by an inscription to Duff and his ‘three wives’.

The stone was given to the National Museum of Scotland in 1921, and can now be seen there in Edinburgh. A replica stands on its original site close to Hilton of Cadboll Chapel.

The stone has a decorative border featuring winding vines and leaves alongside winged creatures. This type of design was popular in Northumbria in the early medieval period.

Three square panels sit within the border and the central panel shows an extraordinary hunting scene:

The focus is on a horsewoman who wears a large brooch and rides side-saddle. To her left are two Pictish symbols – a mirror and a comb. Behind her is another rider, while in the foreground, horsemen and hounds hunt for deer.

It’s very rare to see a woman depicted in Pictish carvings, let alone in such a central position. It’s possible this is a noble or royal scene.