Hilton of Cadboll

The Hilton of Cadboll Pictish cross-slab is thought to have been erected at the Chapel site in the late 8th century AD and, after breaking its tenon, to have been re-erected here in the 12th century. It is thought to have fallen in a storm and one side was defaced and re-carved with a memorial in the 17th century, leaving the fragments of the Pictish carving and the lower portion in-situ. Many thousands of carved fragments and the lower portion of the cross-slab were retrieved from the site during excavations in 1998 and 2001. The aim of the excavations was to retrieve all the fragments and record their location to the nearest 0.5m square in the hope that this would aid the reconstruction of the lost cross-face. All the fragments have been catalogued and photographed and made available to the public