Britain – September 2019

98 BRITAIN http://www.britain-magazine.com

HIDDEN GEMS

PHOTO:

©

YORK ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST

I

n the19thandearly20thcenturiestheparishofGovan,

Glasgow,wasdominatedbyshipbuilding,employingthousands

intheshipyardsliningtheriverClyde.Fromitssturdy,

municipalbuildingsmostpeoplemightassumethiswasthedistrict’s

heyday.Mostpeoplewouldbewrong.

TheearlymedievalkingdomofStrathclydewasoneofthemost

powerfulin theBritishIsles,andGovan,onthebanksoftheClyde,

wasvitalforsecurityandcommunication.Accordingtofolklore,

a 7th-centuryking,Constantine,foundeda monasterythere.

Therehasbeena churchat Govansincethe5thor6thcentury.

Wedon’tknowtheidentitiesoftheindividualscommemorated

bythestunningGovanStones– 31Viking-eramemorialscarved

betweenthe9thand11thcenturies– buttheywerenotmadefor

paupers.Legendholdstheyarethestonesofkings.

ThecurrentincarnationofGovanOldChurch,builtbetween

1883 and1888,wasoriginallyhometo 465 memorialstones,housed

in thestrange,pear-shapedgraveyard.Thirty-oneofthemostancient

weretakeninsideforsafekeepingin 1926.Thesehaverecentlybeen

re-presented,usingspotlightstorevealtheirexquisitecarving.

Thestonesfallintothreedifferentgroups– andoneextraordinary

centrepiece.Therearethreestandingstones.ThefrontoftheSun

Stonedepictsfoursnakescurlingfroma centralraisedboss.Itsback

hasa Celticknot-workcrossanda warriorridinga strange-looking

beast.TheJordanhillCrossis,alas,notcomplete,butalsoincludes

Celticknot-workanda rider,whiletheCuddyStoneis carvedwith

a donkeyor‘cuddy’,riddenbyanarmedgure.Thelargestgroup

ofstones,whichwouldhavemostlylainatin theground,date

backmorethan1,000years.

Formostpeople,however,thestarsofGovan’sshowarethe

vesandstone‘hogback’stones.Carvedat differenttimesaround

the10thcentury,theyformthelargestcollectioninScotland.

TheyareNorse-inuencedbutuniquetotheBritishIsles.

TheGovanHogbacksarenigh-onotherworldly.Resembling

giantarmouredslugs,theyareactuallybelievedtorepresentViking

longhouses,createdassomewhereforthedeceasedtoliveinthe

afterlife– theintricatecross-liningdepictsroofs.

ThemagnicentGovanSarcophaguswasfoundbygravediggers

in1855.Carvedfroma singlerock,it featuresinterlacedcarving

andwarriors,andmayhaveonceheldtherelicsofConstantine.

Recordstalkofthreesarcophagi;nooneknowswhatbecameof

theothertwo.OtherGovanstoneswerelostaslateas 1973 when

theneighbouringHarlandandWolffshipyardwasdemolished.

Earlierthisyear,however,MarkMcGettigan,a 14-year-old

schoolboyhelpingoutonanarchaeologicaldig,hitsomethinghard.

Hehadfoundoneofthefabledloststones.Twomorehavebeen

recoveredsinceMark’sdiscovery,andhistorianshavehopesformore

excitingrevelations.Govanhasnotyetrevealedallofitssecrets.

http://www.thegovanstones.org.uk

These mysterious carved stones represent one of Britain's best early medieval sculpture collections

WORDS LAWRENCE ALEXANDER

e Govan Stones