Onwards and upwards after disappointment
Most of these columns are about discoveries and success but today’s is of failure.
In 2019, volunteers (The ROOKS) discovered an inscribed Pictish cross at Old Kilmadock with early Irish writing.
An earlier stone had an early cursive style inscription.
The site is unique, probably a lost monastery possibly destroyed by the Viking Army that one at Dollar in 1875 or burnt Dunblane in 912.
The more we looked at the cross the more unique it became.
The cross had pairs of bird heads in it.
Were these decorative swans or perhaps older Pictish Gods rendered weak and powerless by the triumph of Christ?
And what was on the other side? So after five years, 18 months of negotiations, help from the Pictish Art Society, colleagues from Glasgow and Edinburgh University’s and £11,000 of fundraising from the public we got permission from Historic Environment Scotland to lift it.
This had to be done by a specialist team from Edinburgh: Graciela Ainsworth.
Last week, 40 volunteers helped uncover it and lift.
Some made coffees, some talked to visitors, some carried the camera from the man for Digging for Britain, and everyone waited but was not tired by waiting.
The frame was assembled and the stone winched millimetre by millimetre, the crack did not widen..hoorah.
I asked no one to rush forward and trip and hurt themselves.
A phone was produced to record whatever was underneath.
Those lost mysteries of Pictish art waiting over a 1000 years to be seen again.
The answer – nothing.
A void which as we gazed at it gazed back and I fell to despair. The stone had likely stood at the boundary of the monastery and began to fall apart centuries ago taking that rear face with it.
But we picked ourselves up and began to plan the next stage…. one more step forward!