EHG6075 - Excavation - Hilton of Cadboll

An open area excavation was carried out by Kirkdale Archaeology in 2001 at Hilton of Cadboll as part of the ongoing assessment of the archaeological context of the scatter of stone debitage identified as having come from the Hilton of Cadboll Stone in July 1998 (see EHG850). An area west of the chapel ruins was sampled and all stone fragments retrieved. The area opened (initially 36m²) was gridded into 50 cm squares, with spoil being sieved, and carved fragments being recorded by 50 cm square. 740 carved fragments, and 122 possibly carved fragments were recovered in this way. A 2 by 2 m. extension was added to the west side of the trench when it was discovered that the stump of the Hilton of Cadboll stone was still in-situ with surviving carving visible. This discovery had obvious implications for a clearer understanding of the archaeological context of the stone. The removal of one face of the stone in the 17th century for its recycling as a gravemarker had created the stone scatter, but the discovery of part of the stone in situ prompted a review of the programme of investigation. <1> Further work extending the area and including retrieval of the surviving in-situ stump of the stone was later carried out by GUARD (see EHG670).