Hilton of Cadboll Stone

Hilton of Cadboll Stone

ID: QZP40_2475_P003 DESCRIPTION: The Pictish cross slab at Hilton of Cadboll stood beside the ruined medieval chapel of St Mary's until 1676 when the ornamentation on the cross side was chiselled off so that the stone could be used as a grave slab. The stone was too heavy to move and was discarded. The stone was later removed to Invergordon Castle and then the British Museum in London before being moved to the National Museum in Edinburgh where it remains. The reverse side of the class II stone has three panels. The top panel shows a double-disc and z-rod above a crescent and v-rod and two discs. The middle panel shows a hunting scene with two warriors, two trumpeters and a deer being attacked by two hounds. Also in the scene is a female side-saddle rider riding abreast with another rider. A mirror and comb case are shown beside them. The bottom panel contains an interlocking spiral design and there is an inhabited scroll design going up both sides of the stone face. The lower half of the bottom panel was missing until 2001, when it was found buried near the chapel ruins. In 2000, sculptor Barry Grove, in close consultation with Richard Easson of Tain Civic Trust, undertook a project to recreate the Hilton stone. The reverse side, completed in 2000, is not an exact replica as there were parts missing from the original. The bottom panel of the reconstructed stone was found to be very similar to the original when it was found a year later. A cross side for the reconstructed stone is being carved using the bottom panel and fragments of the original which were excavated in 2001. This plate is taken from 'Archaeologia Scotica or Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol IV, part III' PLACENAME: Hilton of Cadboll DISTRICT: Fearn OLD COUNTY/PARISH: ROSS: Fearn DATE OF IMAGE: 1857 PERIOD: 1850s SOURCE: Highland Libraries COLLECTION: Fraser Mackintosh Collection (illustrations) Asset ID: 31706 KEYWORDS: