Kilmartin Glen: Kilmartin Stones
The sculptured stones at Kilmartin Glen are grouped into two separate displays in the graveyard.
The Campbell burial aisle, built for Bishop Neil Campbell of the Aisles (d. 1627), is home to the largest group of stones.
Its highlights are the West Highland graveslabs from the 1300s or 1400s. These long, tapering stones feature:
intricate scrollwork and interlace
figures of warriors and clerics
elaborate crosses and swords
Malcolms of Poltalloch
Most are carved in a style common to this area of Argyll, with the stone probably brought from quarries around Loch Awe.
Seven memorials also lie in the ‘Poltalloch Enclosure’, built for the Malcolms of Poltalloch in the 1700s. All but one are inscribed ‘POLTALLOCH’. They comprise:
three West Highland grave-slabs of the 1300s or 1400s
two medieval effigies of warriors wielding spears and swords
two tombstones from the 1600s
Statement of Significance
You can find out more about Kilmartin Glen: Kilmartin Stones in our Statement of Significance, part of a series of special documents outlining the history and development of Historic Scotland sites.
Discover more on trove.scot
See archive photographs of the Kilmartin Stones, plus archaeology notes and more on trove.scot.
