Shetland. by Peter Moar, Corresponding Member
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NEWLY DISCOVERED SCULPTUEED STONES FROM PAPIL, SHETLAND PETEY B . R MOAR, CORRESPONDING MEMBERd an , JOHN STEWART, M.A., F.S.A.ScoT. Read March 25, 1944. • At Papil, Burra Isle, Shetland, where Goudie, in 1877, brought to light the famous Papil Stone, now in the National Museum, there have been discovered Aprin i , l 1943 three th , e ornamente sculptured dan d stones whose photographs and drawings are appended. The stones, which were found during grave-digging operations, were underground e mai,th n slab being foun feefee2 6 d2 t td frofro an wese norte mmd th th en t hChurce sidth f eo h of Papil. It was standing upright in the soil, supported by two socket stones, facind an g bein p southto ge burieth , deptinchesa 0 2 o d t f ho . Thers ewa no sign of other slabs which might have formed the sides and ends of a cist, but three other socket stones, besides the two supporters, have at various times been found in the vicinity. About 4 feet away was found the second slab depicted round-headea brokee f o th , p nto d stone wit interlacen ha d cross in relief. The present churc t Papilha sinc e ,t beewhicus no e n s i 1920 hha , only dates from about 1815, according to the New Statistical Survey. It was built fro materiae mth olden a f o rl towered church know t Lawrence'sS s na . The tower is described as a "steeple" by ministers of Burra in 1654 and in 1794, and from the statement that it was "five or six stories high" it is assumed to have been a round tower like that of Egilsey, Orkney, or perhaps Abernethy and Brechin on the mainland of Scotland. It is said havo t ethref o bee e e non "steeple d kirks Shetlandn "i othee beino th , rtw g situated at Tingwall, the centre of the Norse archdeaconry, and Ireland, Dunrossness. Edmondston, writing in 1809, laments that it has been pulled dow builno t parise dth h church. This older churc t LawrencS f ho e stood north and west of the present building, and a third primitive building is traditionally repute o havt d e been situatee nortth n ht o d S sid f o e 92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1943-44. Lawrence's Church e onlTh y e . towere tracth f o e d building consistf o s small bits of lime and mortar, not a stone being left. There is no reason to believe that the 1943 slab was found in its original position any more than e 187th 7 stone, which when first notice Goudiy db lyins ewa g e soutth f ho church, decorated side uppermost, and had been used past living memory maro t famile kth y burial Baptise placth f eo t missionary. THE STONES . PAPI1 . L CROSS SLAB. d VI.(Pisan ). V . PI. V, 2, with the supporting socket stones shows this stone as it is state havo dt e been discovered, though ther s somei e doubt aboue th t actual position of the raised socket stone on the right. The propped-up position, howeverp whicn to i onle e sockete y th t th hwilth i y wa s t d i , lfi an , of this socket stone, unlik e rest th es heavil i , y weathered e slas Th bi . rectangular f close-graineo , d sandstone fee3 , inche4 t stope lonn th a ,t ga inch less at the bottom, 1 foot 10|- inches high, 2 to 2^ inches thick, and weighs about 1^ hundredweight e ston fron e th s bee f Th eha o t n. dressed smooth edgp bees bace to eha th ,e n k th carefull roughld an , yso rounded. s beeha Eac nd chippehen distanca r inche0 dfo 1 f eo s e fro th fooe mf th o t slab, to a depth of an inch or a little less, leaving two projecting shoulders or tenons above of approximately 13 inches long, which fit the sockets of the supporters. These tenons have been ground away, back and front, for e bluna th f m o o t t wedge betterordet n stonei ,e fi o materiae Th rt .th , l of which is not found in Burra, but can be obtained on the Mainland a few miles awaygooa n i d s i ,stat preservationf eo onle th , y flaked portions being part of the top edge', and the only figured part damaged being the head of the third monk. The decoration in the centre of the cross is somewhat weathered d coulan , d onl followee yb feeliny db g wit e finger-tipshth . e Th . e desig buldoublth n i f ks o ni e relief, many parts being raised above eth others, as, for example, the hoods, hands of clerics, leg of monk riding, hind leg of horse, hems of robes, and decoration in the centre of the cross. The only parts incised are the satchel and straps, the reins and bridle, and the eyes and fingers. The background has been pecked away to an average depth of one-eighth of an inch. Although a photograph gives that im- raiseedgesperfectle y s i pression th t wa t da bu o , n crosye n i th ,leve s si n o l the whole surface. The space between the central boss on the cross and the surrounding ornament is recessed, but much worn. The spiral is entirely in relief. STON2 PAPI . No EL INTERLACED) V. CROSS L (P . This important fragment, which sheds more light on the nature of the Papil settlement than any other find there, was discovered by Mr Peter Moar while making investigations abou Crose tth e s desige Slabth n Th i s .n i NEWLY DISCOVERED SCULPTURED STONES FROM PAPIL. 93 natur Irisf eo h recumbent monument stone evidentls th eha d san y formed part of a cross-slab with an ovally rounded top. The cross is in low relief. The greatest lengt s 16hi f inches, breadth 12f e thicknesinchesth d an , s varies fro mrighte materiae th f e lefTh 1n o th t inc.^to n brows hi o l n sandstone carvine th d mucs gi an , h better tha photogrape nth h indicates. The ston d beeha en e samfounth t ee Monksa dtimth . as e ' Slab, about 4 feet away t littlbu , e attentio beed nha n . paiit o dt STONE No. 3. PAPIL CROSS STONE (SOCKETED). (Fig. 1.) This stone, which is shown in position on the right-hand side of the Cross Slab, in PL, V, 2, has two sockets at right angles to each other, one fitting behine on int crosse slae d dth oth b an . These two sockets are centrally placed with regard to v?/ur*1' e stone ende th th f so , unlik e otheth e r socket stone, where it can be seen that the mortise is neare narroe rth w end t musI .emphasizee b t d that the photograph is intended to reconstruct the nature of the stones and slab when found, attempn a t no buil o t s i whatevep du d an e th r origina havy righe ma el th beenn t O edg. f eo the Cross Socket Stone, at a point 7 inches from the bottom centre, the side had been ground away to a depth of approximately half an inch all the way to the top, except at a point 17 inches from the bottom centre, where a flat- topped circle or boss of 2^ inches diameter and hal incn a f h higbeed hha n stone leftTh s ei . approximately 5 inches thick here and the boss is centrally placed crose Th s incisei s . a o dt depth of one-eighth of an inch, and the dagger- lik e incisio th appearanc o t ne "tailindu s ei g spirae out.Th "l decoration abov e crosth e s extend curvature th f narroe o o st th d t ea w en s lightli e stone th d yan , incise d almosan d t indecipherable stonee Th ., lik s neighboureit , is 24^ inches long, is of sandstone, and, with the exceptio e circulath f o n r side boss e decoth , - ration is incised. Fig . Rubbin1 . crosf go socken so t stone. e lefTh t socket ston d originallha e y been beed longerha n t reduce bu e require, th o dt d lengt chippiny hb e th t ga broader thiendn O s .ston sockee e slabe tenoon th th filles i tf ,y no b d e secondth , whicfronn i , PIn demonstrates i hV i t. e e naturth sth f o e 94 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1943-44. sockets, and there is another shallow unfinished socket on the side farthest away from the slab. The socket in front in the photograph does not fit the tenon of the slab, leaving the one at present engaged there for a hypothetical side slab. The unfinished socket does not seem to have been beginnine th crossa f t thigo bu ,s sidbeed eha n toole somo dt e extents a , o alte it fe outlin e shouldeth rth o d t bose an rs effect achievee th n o d extreme right side of the decorated socket stone. The other three socket stone e similaar s naturen i r , with three sides f the o s foun plainsocketee e mwa on dOn .d som dan e years ago, about 10 feet presene nortth f ho t find, wit s foothskula it t .a l Fitting ints oit three sockets in signpost fashion were rectangular flat slabs.