Hilton of Cadboll Excavations Homepage

The Hilton of Cadboll cross-slab, a Pictish sculpture dating to about 800 AD, is on display in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. One side depicts a hunting scene and other Pictish symbols. The other side, which would originally have been carved with a cross, had been re-dressed in the 17th century and carved with a memorial. This re-dressing of the stone face resulted in thousands of fragments of the Pictish carving being discarded onto the ground.

GUARD (Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division) undertook the excavations at Hilton, Easter Ross in 2001 when the lower portion of the Hilton of Cadboll Pictish cross-slab was re-discovered and lifted from the ground for conservation. Thousands of fragments of the original Pictish carving were also retrieved from the site and are being analysed in an attempt to reconstruct the missing cross-face.