BASIC ADVICE ON THE PROTECTION OF CARVED STONES
CARVED STONE DECAY IN SCOTLAND PROJECT (HISTORIC SCOTLAND)
PROTECTING CARVED STONES TREASURE TROVE

BASIC ADVICE ON THE PROTECTION OF CARVED STONES
Legislation and carved stones
The carved stone that you are interested in may be a scheduled ancient monument, part of a listed building, and/or lie within a conservation area or designed landscape. This means that it may have statutory protection and that prior permissions may be required before undertaking any works to the stone or that might affect it. In the case of dual designations, scheduling takes precedence over listing.

Scheduled Ancient Monuments
A free leaflet, Scheduled Ancient Monuments. A guide for owners, occupiers and land managers is available from Historic Scotland. Until such a time as maps of scheduled areas are available over the web (and this is in progress), the only reliable and up-to-date way of finding out what is scheduled, and what its boundaries are, is to ask Historic Scotland (tel: 0131 668 8777).
e-mail: HSAMAdmin@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. If contacting Historic Scotland about a particular scheduled ancient monument tel: 0131 668 8600 and ask to speak to the ancient monument inspector for the relevant council area.

Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
For general information about listing see Historic Scotland Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. This is available on www.historic-scotland.gov.uk or in hard copy from Historic Scotland. A free leaflet, Scotlandís Listed Buildings: A Guide for Owners and Occupiers, is also available. Copies of the list for each part of the country are kept in the offices of the local Council and may be consulted there. Information on list entries for a particular area can also be obtained from Historic Scotland (0131) 668 8719 or 8720. The local authority conservation officer is the appropriate contact point for things that are listed or in conservation areas.

Designed Landscapes
Carved stones may also be found in nationally important examples of designed landscapes that are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland(1988) and its supplementary volumes (in preparation). Places included on the Inventory are subject to the statutory consultation provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure (Scotland) Order 1992), whereby local authorities must consult Scottish Ministers, through Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, in respect of any proposal which involves, or may affect Inventory Sites.

Natural Heritage Designations
In some instances carved stones may lie in areas covered by other designations, including natural heritage designations. The local Scottish Natural Heritage office may be able to provide more information.

Treasure Trove
New discoveries may come into the category of treasure trove under Scots law (www.treasuretrove.org.uk), in which case they belong to the Crown. Your local authority archaeologists or local museum will be able to advise, or contact the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel for Scotland.

Historic Scotland publications on legislation
All the Historic Scotland publications cited above are available from hs.conservation.bureau@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. An electronic leaflet entitled Working in a scheduled or listed graveyard or burial ground can be found on www.historic-scotland.gov.uk.

GRAVESTONE AND GRAVEYARD RECORDING WITH THE CARVED STONE DECAY IN SCOTLAND PROJECT (HISTORIC SCOTLAND)
Historic Scotland recognises carved stones as one of the important groups of monuments forming Scotland's cultural heritage. The increasingly rapid deterioration of these stones is a cause of concern, and prompted the publication in 1992 of Carved Stones: Historic Scotland's Policy, revised and re-published in 2005 as Carved Stones: Scottish Executive Policy and Guideline. This document emphasises the need to monitor the condition of carved stones as a means of developing an effective policy for the protection of those stones which are at risk. In response to this, in 1994 TCRE began a project to identify, quantify and propose solutions to the decay of historic carved stonework.

The project resulted in the publication in 1999 of the Assessment Methodology Handbook. The handbook presented a means of determining the causes of erosion and decay of individual stones and is capable of being used by a wide range of lay surveyors. An important element of this work is to identify, quantify and propose solutions to the problems of carved stone decay. At present there is no way of measuring the scale of such problems or appreciating the major factors causing them, whether environmental, inherent in the design of the stone or human. Important datasets have already been gathered using this recording system and these will be held and analysed alongside the new data being gathered for gravestones and graveyards.

What are we doing now?
Together, the CSA's Carved Stones Adviser Project and Historic Scotland's Carved Stone Decay in Scotland Project have launched two recording programmes specially designed for recording gravestones and graveyards.

Whole burial landscapes are being surveyed in order to understand not only how they evolved but how they are currently being used - for survival may well depend on location, ownership or association with a place of worship. In a second recording initiative gravestones are surveyed in detail to recover information on their physical environment and appearance as well as their condition.

How to help with recording graveyards and gravestones
No previous experience or specialist equipment is needed to participate in graveyard recording. This is an ideal activity for both individuals or a small group of people to become involved in. An Introduction to Graveyard Recording booklet has been prepared and is available on the Carved Stones Adviser Website. The booklet gives you all the information you need to fill out the recording form, as well as a description of the interesting features found in graveyards and the range of carvings found on gravestones. Once you are ready to go to work you will need a graveyard recording form (also available online at www.scottishgraveyards.org.uk).

What we will do with your information
The results of volunteer surveys will be pooled together to build up a comprehensive picture of the condition of the nation's gravestone and graveyards so that: once the scale and nature of threats to graveyards are known we can devise solutions to tackle these issues; the study can provide important point of reference, which can be monitored over time to allow future researchers to map changing levels of preservation and to assess the success of any conservation measures implemented. These results help cemetery managers, heritage managers and funding bodies to ensure that the resources available for graveyard conservation are most effectively targeted.

TREASURE TROVE
Newly discovered carved stones and the law of Treasure Trove
Under Scots common law (bona vacantia) all portable antiquities without legal owners are the property of the Crown unless otherwise determined. The definition of ìportableî is basically taken to mean non-earthfast or wallfast and readily transportable (including by vehicle). When a portable antiquity is claimed on behalf of the Crown it is normally allocated to an appropriate museum or similar institution, so that it may be preserved in perpetuity on behalf of the nation. The Crown Office is advised on all matters pertaining to portable antiquities by the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel, appointed by the Scottish ministers.

Most carved stones in Scotland are already owned and/or are earthfast (or wallfast) and therefore do not constitute bona vacantia. On the other hand, newly discovered carved stones are almost always ownerless and are therefore liable to be claimed by the Crown and must, under the provision of the Treasure Trove system, be reported to the proper authority (see below). Any stones which were previously earthfast or wallfast, and which for any reason are moved, also become potentially claimable. This should be borne in mind before any decisions are taken to move any stone from its existing position and advice sought.

Recent examples of carved stones which have been claimed by the Crown include:

2001 Pictish symbol stone (Class 1) from Newmachar, Aberdeenshire, allocated to Marischal Museum, University of Aberdeen (TT.7/01)

2001 Two Early Historic cross fragments from Inchnadamph, Highland, allocated to Inverness Museum & Art Gallery (TT.34/00)

2001 Medieval carved stone head, Waverley Station, Edinburgh, allocated to Edinburgh City Museums & Art Galleries (TT.70/00)

2000 Four medieval carved stone heads from Arbroath, Angus, allocated to Angus Council Cultural Services (TT.30/00)

2000 Carved stone head (with Celtic attributes but of uncertain age), from Coupar Angus, Perthshire, allocated to Perth Museum & Art Gallery (TT.148/99)

2000 Early Historic decorated cross-slab fragment, from Kirriemuir, Angus, allocated to Angus Council Cultural Services (TT.58/99)

1999 Two fragmentary Pictish stones, from Portmahomack, Highland, allocated to the National Museums of Scotland (TT.52/99)

1999 Late Medieval stone head, from Dunvegan, Skye, allocated to Inverness Museum & Art Gallery (TT.84/98)

1999 Pictish stone fragment and fragment of a carved medieval grave-slab from Rosemarkie, Highland, allocated to Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie (TT.113/ &145/98)

All new finds of carved stones should be reported to the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel. This can be done by contacting the:

Treasure Trove Advisory Panel Secretariat
c/o National Museums Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh EH1 1JF
tel: 0131 247 4082; fax: 0131 247 4060; email: j.shiels@nms.ac.uk or info@treasuretrove.org.uk.

Alternatively, finds can be reported to any local museum, which will then pass the information to the Secretariat. Advice on all aspects of the Treasure Trove system in Scotland may be obtained from the Secretariat, from whom copies of the Scottish Executive booklet Treasure Trove in Scotland: information on procedures and criteria for allocation and the allocation process may also be obtained.