Photographic copy of a watercolour of stone-built chamber entitled: 'Kirkstones No. 3'; and dated 1916.

Description Photographic copy of a watercolour of stone-built chamber entitled: 'Kirkstones No. 3'; and dated 1916.

Date 1916

Collection Papers of John Nicolson, antiquarian, Keiss, Caithness, Scotland

Catalogue Number E 49277 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copy of DC 64263

Copies SC 875841

Scope and Content Watercolour of Kirk Stones, Caithness, Highland In north-east Caithness, near Stroupster, is a site called Kirk Stones. This extraordinary site has attracted attention since an early date. It is an alleged ecclesiastical complex. The site consists of four structures, one of which is said to be a chapel. A stone wall and ditch surround the site and other large stones, some of them set on edge, lie within the enclosure. This watercolour, dated 1916, by John Nicolson (1843-1934) shows one of the structures (No 3). It was a small structure, little more than 3 metres wide. Around the sides there was a scarcement or ledge. The date and purpose of this site is unclear. Although the isolation of the site and the proximity to a stream may suggest a shieling settlement, the structure is dissimilar to other local examples. It is perhaps better to see the area as an ecclesiastical site. The site shown here was cleared by Nicolson probably around 1915. Other structures on the site, including a chapel, were excavated by Samuel Laing and Sir Francis Tress Barry (1825-1907) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference PPD 30

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