PAS Conference Report

NEWSLETTER 49 WINTER 2008 PAS Conference report local connections and interest in the Pictish period remains of the area have contributed The church hall of the quiet little village of much to our understanding of early historic St Vigeans on the outskirts of Arbroath was Angus and St Vigeans in particular. Early in the home to our annual conference on Saturday field were Andrew Jervise and Patrick Chalmers. 4 October. To the casual eye, there is little in The Reverend William Duke published an the village to indicate its former importance, account, with photographs, of the finding of but St Vigeans is home to an important collection many of the stones when the church was of Pictish carved stones. Chalmers illustrated refurbished in 1871. Joseph Anderson, Keeper four in 1848, but the majority were found when of the National Museum of Antiquities of major alterations and repairs were carried out Scotland from 1869, Assistant-Secretary and on the church in 1871. In the 1960s, the stones editor to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, were placed in a small museum housed in one who, together with J Romilly Allen, published of a row of cottages across the road from the The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland, church. Although safe from wind and rain, the was the son of a St Vigeans farm labourer. The display left much to be desired; in some cases, connections with notable figures in the field of carved surfaces were hidden and the lighting was archaeology and history continue to modern generally poor. As an unmanned museum, with times: the late Graham Ritchie spent part of his the keys available previously from a holder in youth in Arbroath, where his father was principal the village or, latterly, from Arbroath Abbey, teacher of Classics and Deputy Headmaster at there was concern too for the security of these the High School. It seems fitting that so many precious items. However, all this has changed, who have contributed so much over the years and, thanks to Historic Scotland, we were to Pictish studies should have had close about to preview the results of their work on connections with such an important Pictish extending the museum, cleaning, conserving and centre. redisplaying the stones. David then introduced Peter Yeoman, Head of As part of the St Vigeans project, experts from Cultural Resources at Historic Scotland, who a number of disciplines had come together to spoke on A year in Pictland: redisplaying the study the stones and their context. We had been St Vigeans stones. Peter described the fortunate to hear an early account of some of philosophy that lay behind Historic Scotland’s the work from Jane Geddes at our Cupar approach to redisplaying collections of carved conference; this year we heard from some of stones, and the strategy behind the project. Focus her colleagues involved in the project. The is shifting away from simply displaying artefacts following account of the day’s proceedings has to attempting to present a coherent picture of had to be fairly ruthlessly compressed, and why a particular site is important in history. contains only brief notes on the talks. At the same time, a large number of factors have Shepherded by bell-ringer Nigel Ruckley, every- to be considered: the need for conservation and one had a chance to visit the museum, which security of the objects displayed, the balance will open to the public next Spring. Historic between local and national interest in deciding Scotland must take credit for transforming the whether they should be kept close to the place museum, creating space and effective lighting of their discovery or removed to a larger centre, to display the cleaned and conserved stones in public access, community involvement and the an elegant setting. No-one came back to any of educational use of the material all have to be the committee with negative comments: if you considered. At the same time, technical problems missed the chance to be at the conference, try to such as the non-destructive mounting, lighting, get to St Vigeans next Spring to see this great and ease of viewing have all to be factored in. collection sympathetically displayed. The old museum was too cramped to allow of David Henry, in his opening remarks, paid much improvement in the display of the stones. tribute to the many notable antiquaries whose The opportunity came to purchase the adjoining 1 cottage and to extend the space available, and Village people, 4 October 2008 the decision was taken to go ahead with the project. The stones were removed to Historic Scotland’s conservation labs in Edinburgh, and they were carefully cleaned and prepared for redisplay. The opportunity was taken to involve a number of experts from a range of disciplines: art historians, geologists, place-name experts, illustrators and historians in studies aimed at investigating afresh the background to the collection of stones. The resulting discoveries and new interpret- Janet Penman and the catering team from Café Dun ations were used to inform the new displays. For example, the work of the geologists revealed a group comprising the Drosten stone, the shrine- shaped monument and a recumbent which were carved probably in the early 9th century from stone from the same source. Associated arte- factual material has been included in displays close to the relevant groups of stones, while photographic imagery of Angus scenery has been used to provide a background. All carved surfaces are visible, and the lighting has been greatly improved. Peter was followed by Isabel Henderson whose theme was Characterising the major centres Eileen Brownlee Peter Yeoman Norman Atkinson Katherine Forsyth Isabel Henderson Nigel Ruckley All from photographs taken by Joy Mowatt All from John Borland Derek Alexander Simon Taylor David Henry 2 of Pictish carved stone monuments, with language here: a shrine is usually regarded as special reference to St Vigeans. containing relics, whereas this obviously could Isabel took as her starting point Anna Ritchie’s not be the case in a solid monument. Perhaps paper on Meigle and lay patronage in Tayside these were markers laid over a grave, in effect in the 9th and 10th centuries AD (Tayside and ‘shrine tombs’, retaining the implications of Fife Archaeological Journal I, 1995 pp.1–10), a cult drawing pilgrims to the church. At in which the probable intended uses for the St Vigeans we have a wide range of elements to carved stones found at a series of sites led to the ponder: cross slabs, grave markers, a possible conclusion that there was evidence for the shrine, free-standing crosses and possible presence of elaborate stone buildings probably architectural fragments. The church here churches at sites such as Meigle, Govan and obviously had powerful patrons. The stones St Vigeans, with evidence also for lay patronage suggest a site of some grandeur, where the at these sites. services of skilled craftsmen were displayed. Martin Carver’s work at Portmahomack John Borland, of the Royal Commission on associates the stones found there with evidence Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, for a monastic community, flourishing and then talked us through Reconstructing the carving elaborate stones in the late 8th to early fragmentary remains at St Vigeans: The 9th centuries. At Meigle, the enclosure was large benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach. enough to include some form of monastic John summarised the history of recording and settlement, but the church mound at St Vigeans publishing the stones at St Vigeans, before seemed too small to accommodate such an describing the most recent work. RCAHMS has establishment. However, as Jane Geddes has aimed at completeness and consistency in the pointed out, the nearby hillock could have illustration of the stones, and the importance of provided the setting here for the residential this became clear. By ensuring that all stones buildings of a monastery. The monasteries were and fragments are drawn to a consistent scale, unlike the later, large establishments where large it becomes easier to identify the form of a numbers of individuals led lives structured by a monument from a fragment, and to recognise Rule according to the order to which they fragments as coming from the same stone. belonged, isolated from the secular world Allen’s St Vigeans Nos 12 and 24 can be seen to outside of the monastic precinct. The evidence be a part of the same stone. currently available suggests that Pictish Nos 4 and 21 are probably fragments of a single monasteries were much smaller communities stone. The hooded figure and horse on separate observing a religious life, but not necessarily one fragments of the reverse match well, but the that excluded the laity. Attempts to distinguish relationship of the borders of the cross is rather between the religious and the secular may not poor. However, the geology of the fragments be meaningful in such contexts. agrees, making it more likely that they are from The diversity of form present in assemblages the same monument. such as that at St Vigeans allows the possibility No.16 does not fit comfortably with Allen’s of studying the significance of the way in which description of it as a fragment of a cross slab. sculpture was used, and can help in determining The form and size are, as Jane Geddes suggested, a context for production. St Vigeans is only one more like those of the upper end of a free- of a number presently available for study: the standing cross (or even of the end of an arm of group includes those found at Portmahomack, such a cross). This would be the first free- Kineddar, Burghead, St Andrews and in the standing cross to be recognised as carrying Forteviot area (Isabel made a strong plea for the symbols, and would require revisiting the renaming of the Dupplin Cross as ‘Constantine’s classification proposed in the Early Christian Cross’).

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