The Govan Stones

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The Govan Stones
The Govan Cross in Govan Old.jpg
The early medieval Govan Cross in Govan Old Parish Church
Location Govan
Coordinates 55°51′53″N4°18′46″W / 55.8646°N 4.3129°W / 55.8646; -4.3129

The Govan Stones is an internationally-important museum collection of early-medieval carved stones displayed at Govan Old Parish Church in Glasgow, Scotland. [1]

Contents

The carved stones come from the surrounding early medieval heart-shaped churchyard and include the Govan Sarcophagus, four upstanding crosses, five Anglo-Scandinavian hogbacks, and a wide range of recumbent burial monuments, all likely dating to the 9th-11th centuries AD.

Govan Old and the Govan Stones museum are open daily between April 1st and October 31st from 1pm-4pm. Operated by the Govan Heritage Trust charity, admission is free, although visitors can make donations and the museum's gift-shop raises money for the upkeep of the property and its collections.

Description

Side of the Viking-Age Govan Sarcophagus, thought to depict a royal saint killed by Vikings in the 870s Side of the Viking-Age Govan Sarcophagus.jpg
Side of the Viking-Age Govan Sarcophagus, thought to depict a royal saint killed by Vikings in the 870s

The carved stones are thought to have been created to commemorate the power and wealth of the rulers of the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde, [1] which was part of Yr Hen Ogledd ('The Old North').

Forty-five stones existed as late as the 1970s. However, fourteen 'recumbent gravestones' (funerary markers laid flat over the grave), which had not been taken into the church and were lying next to the east wall of the churchyard, were thought to have been destroyed when the neighbouring Harland and Wolff shipyard plating shed was demolished in 1973, [2] [3] with the damaged early medieval stones being mistaken for debris.

Nevertheless, one of these 'lost' stones was rediscovered in 2019 by a fourteen-year-old schoolboy, Mark McGettigan, working as part of the ‘Stones 'n' Bones’ community archaeology and heritage programme. Two more recumbent gravestones were uncovered subsequently, prompting hopes that more of the stones - possibly as many as the fourteen originally thought destroyed - had survived. [4] [5]

The remaining carved stones are the Govan Sarcophagus, five hogback stones (of a Viking-Age type originating in Anglo-Scandinavian Yorkshire), four standing crosses and twenty-one recumbents. [3]

A side of the Govan Sarcophagus, with animal and interlace carvings A side of the Govan Sarcophagus.jpg
A side of the Govan Sarcophagus, with animal and interlace carvings

The centrepiece of the collection is the Govan Sarcophagus, which is thought to commemorate St. Constantine, [6] the son of Pictish king Kenneth MacAlpin. [2] It features carvings of a Pictish-style stag hunting scene and various stylised animals. [7] Carved from solid sandstone, the sarcophagus is the only one of its kind from pre-Norman, Northern Britain. [8]

History

The stones have been dated back to the 9th–11th centuries, a period when Vikings raided the Clyde region and the territories beyond. The contemporary Annals of Ulster tell us that Vikings destroyed the twin citadel at Dumbarton Rock, strategically located at the confluence of the Clyde and Leven rivers, in AD 870 after a four-month siege. This fortress, known as Alt Clut or Alt Clud in the local Northern Brittonic (Cumbric) language, [9] was the centre of an ancient kingdom of Clyde Britons. [10]

With the king of Alt Clut, Artgal, either killed or enslaved by the Vikings, [10] Govan and Partick, further up the river, gained great strategic importance as a new dynasty was established for the successor realm, known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde ('the valley of the Clyde'). Govan, already an ancient Christian site with burials dating back to AD 450-600, became an important ecclesiastical centre for this new kingdom. [2] [11]

The presence of the five 'hogback' stones in Govan suggests the area was settled, or at least partly settled, by Vikings or Scandinavian-influenced peoples. [12] These large sandstone blocks, seemingly designed to resemble Scandinavian longhouses, were found exclusively in areas of northern Britain where Vikings settled. [2] Nowhere else are there hogback stones quite as large as the five in Govan. [11]

Hogback stones within the (ecclesiastical) north transept Hogsback Stones within the Nave.jpg
Hogback stones within the (ecclesiastical) north transept

"It underpins this idea that this British kingdom of Strathclyde has some strong connections with the Scandinavian world. My feeling is that this is meant to represent a lord's hall or a chieftain's hall." - Stephen Driscoll, Professor of Historical Archaeology at Glasgow University. [2]

The sarcophagus was discovered in Govan Old's graveyard in 1855 when a grave was being dug to the south east of the church. [11] Recognising their significance and to protect the stones from the elements, they were moved from the surrounding graveyard and placed on display within the church itself in 1926. [11] Until that point, the stones had lain in the churchyard for over a thousand years.

Creation of the site

It is believed that the site's earliest Christian activity began sometime in the 5th or 6th century AD. Archaeological excavations in the 1990s uncovered two early Christian burials beneath the foundations of a later church; these burials were radiocarbon-dated between the 5th and 6th centuries AD (AD 435-601 and AD 474-601). [13]

Despite this early activity, it wasn't until the 9th and 10th centuries that Govan Old rose to prominence: indeed, there are few historical references to Govan in the interim, though there appears to be one reference included in Symeon of Durham's Historia Regum , compiled sometime in the 12th century AD. In it, Simeon records the return of the Northumbrian army from 'Ovania' after attacking Dumbarton Rock (Alt Clut) in AD 756. [14] [15]

Govan Old Church.jpg

Originally, the Annals of Ulster recorded Dumbarton Rock as the centre of the Brittonic Kingdom of Alt Clud (usually pre-emptively referred to as the Kingdom of Strathclyde, but which is more accurately described as ‘the kingdom of the Rock of the Clyde’) from the 6th century AD until the later 9th century AD.

In AD 870, the Annals of Ulster record a Viking raid on Dumbarton Rock; after this point, the kings of Clyde Rock are no longer discussed. [16] [17] In 872, the Annals of Ulster instead refer to the kingdom of Ystrad Clud, better known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde, [18] which appears to mark the shift of political power from Dumbarton Rock further upstream to Govan. It is possible that a predecessor of the 12th-century royal estate at Partick [19] [20] and the now-destroyed Doomster Hill (which is thought to have functioned as a Viking-style 'thing' site or moot/meeting place, having been adapted from a possible Bronze-Age burial mound [21] [22] [23] ) played a part in this power shift.

The size of the graveyard and the sheer amount of early medieval sculpture suggest that the church was supported by royal patronage. Because the site has been in continual use since it was first established, it is difficult to tell what the original church looked like, but excavations in the 1990s revealed the foundations of a wall next to the south-east corner of the present building. Based on depth and method of construction, it is thought that these foundations, which consist of boulders placed in a trench with smaller stones used to create a level surface, supported an early medieval wooden church .

The Govan Sarcophagus

The Govan Sarcophagus is a monumental stone coffin with an ornately carved exterior; it was rediscovered when the church sexton was digging a grave in the south-east corner of the churchyard in December 1855, [24] surrounded by roots from two elm trees. No human remains were found with the sarcophagus, so it is thought that it was buried at an earlier date to protect the monument, perhaps during the Scottish Reformation when iconoclasm was common practice. Today, the sarcophagus is on prominent display in the Govan Stones museum.

The sarcophagus is supposed to have been dedicated to the patron saint of the church, St Constantine. There is much debate over which Constantine is the patron, and whether it is Constantine of Strathclyde, but most scholars agree that the coffin most likely would have been dedicated to Constantine f. Kenneth (AD 862–878) [25] or Donald f. Constantine (AD 889–900). Because of its highly decorated exterior, it is assumed that the coffin was meant to display the remains of the saint as a focal piece in the church.

Govan, carved sarcophagus with Old Parish Church, generally linked with Saint Constantine Sarcophagus and Chancel.jpg
Govan, carved sarcophagus with Old Parish Church, generally linked with Saint Constantine

The coffin itself depicts Insular iconography, taking inspiration from different styles that were then popular in the Irish Sea Region. One face of the sarcophagus shows a hunting scene of a horseman chasing a stag, perhaps accompanied by a dog, a motif frequently used in Pictish art that is thought to convey an association with royalty and power. The sarcophagus also shows an animal trampling another two creatures: a snake and what may be a wolf; the angular decoration of the triumphant animal has led many scholars to suggest that this is a ‘Lamb of God’ motif. [26] Two panels depicting beasts in various configurations are found on the other long face of the sarcophagus: in one, four ‘beasts’ are pseudo-mirrored across the vertical and horizontal axes of the panel, though there are differences in each beast's design. In the second panel, two long-necked animals cross necks and interlace their tongue/ears with the other beast's tail; similar motifs, where beasts cross legs, necks, or other body parts, can also be found in Pictish sculpture. The rest of the space on the sarcophagus is filled with panels of median-incised interlace, some of which represent snakes, which a relatively common motif in Insular sculpture, thought to be a symbol of death and resurrection. [27]

Govan Hogbacks

There are five hogbacks at in the Govan Stones museum at Govan Old Parish Church.

While the earliest Govan hogback, known as Govan 2, is considered to date to the early 10th century, the later four hogbacks are thought to date to later in the 10th.

The five hogbacks in Govan Old are generally known as Govan 2, Govan 3, Govan 4, Govan 5 and Govan 6. All were discovered within the footprint of Govan Old's early medieval churchyard. [28] [29] [30]

Crosses and upright cross-slabs

Two cross-shafts and two upright cross-slabs are also on display. The cross-shafts include the Govan Cross, also known as the 'Jordanhill' Cross, and the Inverted (or Upside Down) Cross. These would have been decorated on all four faces and, when whole, would have been part of a free-standing cross, probably in a form similar to the more intact Barochan Cross, now housed at Paisley Museum.

The Govan Cross is often referred to as the Jordanhill Cross because it was gifted to the residents of Jordanhill House at some point when one of the churches was being replaced, though there are conflicting accounts as to when this took place. [38] [39] It was brought back to Govan Old in 1928. The cross is decorated with different variants of median-incised interlace, though its most notable feature is an eroded man on horseback that has lost much of its detail apart from the eyes of both horse and man.

The ‘Inverted’ or ‘Upside Down’ cross is so named because it is currently displayed upside down next to the hogback stones in the (ecclesiastical) north transept. Though most of the details on the broad face of the cross facing the visitor has been damaged or eroded, the two side faces are comparatively well-preserved. These are mostly decorated with median-incised interlace, though this also retains the only figural sculpture that can be interpreted as a biblical scene – possibly David being anointed by Samuel. [40]

The two upright cross-slabs include the so-called Sun Stone and Cuddy Stane. The Sun Stone is heavily eroded, but it is decorated with a large boss from which emerge four snakes, arranged in such a way that it appears sun-like, above an angular interlace panel. On the other broad face, it is decorated with a cross, median-incised interlace, and a rider on one face. Though there is a tenon on top of the stone slab, some scholars have argued this was too small to have supported a (stone) cross-head and could indicate that the Sun Stone played an architectural function. [41] [42]

The Cuddy Stane takes its name from its rider's steed, which appears more like a donkey ('cuddy' in Scots language) than a horse. The stone has been damaged since it was illustrated in 1856, [43] which records the rider's upper half, with probable sword and pony tail (the latter also seen on the Sun Stone, the Govan Sarcophagus and the Govan Warrior), and the tenon joint for the presumed cross-head. While the stone appears plain today, this is because it has been severely eroded and was also reused as an Early Modern grave cover with carved initials; hints of a panel of interlace are preserved under the horseman.

Recumbent cross-slabs

The recumbent cross-slabs take up the largest proportion of the Govan Stones collection; twenty-one of the originally recorded thirty-seven are on display, arranged around the interior walls of the church. Unfortunately, these monuments have received less attention relative to the others because they have been differentially worn and liberally reused since at least the 17th century.

While the cross-slabs vary in size, in shape and in the decorative motifs used, there are some features they share: they each exhibit a cross with an incised border, which consistently divides the stone into at least two panels. For each stone, there is a plain border that defines the edge of the monument. Finally, of the twenty-one recumbent cross-slabs on display, at least five show evidence for a regionally significant feature known as 'angle-knobs'. [44]

These tombstones are of particular importance to any future tourism development and hold great potential. [45]

Popularity: British Museum Loan and Scotland's Hidden Gem

The British Museum affirmed the importance of the collection when they took one of the hogback stones to London as part of the exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend (March 2014 to June 2014). [46] [47]

In August 2017, the Govan Stones were voted Scotland's best 'hidden gem' in a nationwide competition, [48] receiving more than two thousand votes in the nationwide poll. [12] They have been described as of international significance. [4]

Govan Warrior

Govan Warrior carved stone.jpg

In September 2023, a previously undiscovered early medieval carved stone was discovered by Professor Stephen Driscoll during the re-excavation of an area Prof. Driscoll dug as part of the Time Team programme in 1996.

The stone differs from the other early medieval carved stones in the collection in that it is lightly incised. Although damaged, it depicts what appears to be a warrior, with a small, circular shield held over the shoulder of a side-on human figure via a strap. The person appears to be carrying a staff, spear or sword that is resting on the left shoulder. Much of the face is destroyed, but appears to show a sharply-pointed beard and a pony tail, with the latter aspect known from other stones in the existing collection.

Due to its find location and apparent martial attributes, the figure has been nicknamed the "Govan Warrior".

The excavations and surveys were undertaken by University of Glasgow Archaeology students, Clyde Archaeology and community volunteers.

The Govan Stones in the Media

The Channel 4 archeology programme Time Team dug in the graveyard of the Govan Old in the fourth episode of series 4, recorded in summer 1996 and broadcast early 1997.

In March 2019, ′Stones and Bones′ community archaeologists with a schoolboy named Mark McGettigan revealed long-lost medieval stone carvings. The stones were assumed to have been demolished by chance when the neighbouring Harland & Wolff shipyard plaring shed was demolished in the 1970s. [49]

As Professor Stephen Driscoll noted, "This the most exciting discovery we have had at Govan in the last 20 years. The Govan Stones are a collection of international importance and these recovered stones reinforce the case for regarding Govan as a major early medieval centre of power." [50]

In September 2023, the discovery of the 'Govan Warrior' made national news across a range of media, including newspapers such as The Scotsman, The Herald and the Evening Times, British Archaeology magazine, and on the BBC Scotland news programme, The Nine.

In January of 2024, the Govan Early Medieval podcast began to feature the Govan Stones and the early medieval Kingdom of Strathclyde and its neighbours. [51]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Strathclyde</span> Brittonic kingdom in early medieval Britain

Strathclyde was a Brittonic kingdom in northern Britain during the Middle Ages. It comprised parts of what is now southern Scotland and North West England, a region the Welsh tribes referred to as Yr Hen Ogledd. At its greatest extent in the 10th century, it stretched from Loch Lomond to the River Eamont at Penrith. Strathclyde seems to have been annexed by the Goidelic-speaking Kingdom of Alba in the 11th century, becoming part of the emerging Kingdom of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High cross</span> Free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated

A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. These probably developed from earlier traditions using wood, perhaps with metalwork attachments, and earlier pagan Celtic memorial stones; the Pictish stones of Scotland may also have influenced the form. The earliest surviving examples seem to come from the territory of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, which had been converted to Christianity by Irish missionaries; it remains unclear whether the form first developed in Ireland or Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Govan</span> Area of Glasgow, Scotland

Govan is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated 2+12 miles west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick. Historically it was part of the County of Lanark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pictish stone</span> Monuments erected by early Scottish tribes

A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the Clyde-Forth line and on the Eastern side of the country, these stones are the most visible remaining evidence of the Picts and are thought to date from the 6th to 9th century, a period during which the Picts became Christianized. The earlier stones have no parallels from the rest of the British Isles, but the later forms are variations within a wider Insular tradition of monumental stones such as high crosses. About 350 objects classified as Pictish stones have survived, the earlier examples of which holding by far the greatest number of surviving examples of the mysterious symbols, which have long intrigued scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hogback (sculpture)</span> Stone carved Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture

Hogbacks are stone carved Anglo-Scandinavian sculptures from 10th- to 12th-century northern England and south-west Scotland. Singular hogbacks were found in Ireland and Wales. Hogbacks fell out of fashion by the beginning of the 11th century. Their function is generally accepted as grave markers. Similar later grave markers have been found in Scandinavia. In Cornwall similar stones are known as coped stones.

Sculptured stones is a name applied to carved stone monuments from the early Christian period excavated in various parts of the British Isles and Scandinavia. They document the conversion of these areas to Christianity

Dyfnwal was King of Strathclyde. Although his parentage is unknown, he was probably a member of the Cumbrian dynasty that is recorded to have ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde immediately before him. Dyfnwal is attested by only one source, a mediaeval chronicle that places his death between the years 908 and 915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigg Stone</span> Pictish symbol stone in Nigg Old Parish Church, Nigg, Highland, Scotland, UK

The Nigg Stone is an incomplete Class II Pictish cross-slab, perhaps dating to the end of the 8th century.

The Portmahomack sculpture fragments are the slabs and stone fragments which have been discovered at the Easter Ross settlement of Portmahomack (Tarbat), Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Govan Old Parish Church</span> Church in Glasgow, Scotland

Govan Old Parish Church is the name of the original parish church serving Govan in Glasgow from the 5th or 6th century AD until 2007. In that year, the Church of Scotland united the two Govan congregations with Linthouse and established the parish church at Govan Cross, making Govan Old redundant.

Constantine was reputedly the son and successor of King Riderch Hael of Alt Clut, the Brittonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde. He appears only in the Life of St. Kentigern by Jocelyn of Furness, which regards him as a cleric, thus connecting him with the several obscure saints named Constantine venerated throughout Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eassie Stone</span>

The Eassie Stone is a Class II Pictish stone of about the mid 8th century AD in the village of Eassie, Angus, Scotland. The stone was found in Eassie burn in the late 18th century and now resides in a purpose-built perspex building in the ruined Eassie church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum</span> Museum in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK

The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum is a permanent exhibition of 27 carved Pictish stones in the centre of the village of Meigle in eastern Scotland. It lies on the A94 road running from Coupar Angus to Forfar. The museum occupies the former parish school, built 1844. The collection of stones implies that an important church was located nearby, or perhaps a monastery. There is an early historical record of the work of Thana, son of Dudabrach, who was at Meigle in the middle of the 9th century during the reign of King Pherath. Thana was likely to have been a monk serving as a scribe in a local monastery that could have been founded in the 8th century. The stones contained in the museum were all found near Meigle, mostly in the neighbouring churchyard or used in the construction of the old church. The present church building dates to about 1870, the previous building having been destroyed in a fire on 28 March 1869. The stones were rescued by William Galloway immediately after the fire. The stones are Christian monuments to the dead of the Pictish warrior aristocracy, who are depicted on the stones bearing their weapons or hunting.

This article deals with the history of the Partick area of Glasgow in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glamis Manse Stone</span>

The Glamis Manse Stone, also known as Glamis 2, is a Class II Pictish stone at the village of Glamis, Angus, Scotland. Dating from the 9th century, it is located outside the Manse, close to the parish church. It is inscribed on one side with a Celtic cross and on the other with a variety of Pictish symbols. It is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodwrae Stone</span>

The Woodwrae Stone is a Class II Pictish Stone that was found in 1819 when the foundations of the old castle at Woodwrae, Angus, Scotland were cleared. It had been reused as a floor slab in the kitchen of the castle. Following its removal from the castle, it was donated to the collection of Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford House. It is now on display at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Orland's Stone</span> Cross slab in Angus, Scotland, UK

St Orland's Stone is a Class II Pictish Cross-Slab at Cossans, near Kirriemuir and Forfar, Angus, Scotland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art in Medieval Scotland</span>

In the early Middle Ages, there were distinct material cultures evident in the different federations and kingdoms within what is now Scotland. Pictish art was the only uniquely Scottish medieval style; it can be seen in the extensive survival of carved stones, particularly in the north and east of the country, which hold a variety of recurring images and patterns. It can also be seen in elaborate metal work that largely survives in buried hoards. Irish-Scots art from the kingdom of Dál Riata suggests that it was one of the places, as a crossroads between cultures, where the Insular style developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Gosforth</span> Church in Cumbria, England

St Mary's Church in the village of Gosforth, Cumbria, England, is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Calder, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Olaf, Wasdale Head, and St Michael, Nether Wasdale. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is associated with "a unique Viking-age assemblage" of carved stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eassie Old Church</span> Ruined church and burial ground in Angus, Scotland

Eassie Old Church is a ruined 13th-century parish church located near the village of Eassie in Angus, Scotland. Erected in the corner of the church is the Eassie Stone, a Class II Pictish stone. The cross slab was discovered in 1850 in the nearby burn. The church was abandoned after 1835 when a new church was built in the area to serve the combined parishes of Eassie and Nevay. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1921.

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