Kilberry Sculptured Stones

The Kilberry Sculptured Stones are a group of late medieval carved stones gathered near Kilberry Castle, in the district of South Knapdale in Argyll and Bute. They are cross-slabs and grave markers that once belonged to the area’s medieval parish church, which was destroyed during the seventeenth century. When the church fell out of use, its funerary stones survived, and they are now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. Rather than being left exposed to the weather, the collection is displayed together in a purpose-built shelter within the grounds of the castle, a short distance to the north-east. The stones are recognised as a scheduled monument, a designation reserved for sites of national archaeological importance. As a group they speak to the Christian devotion of the medieval community that commissioned them: carved cross-slabs once marked the graves of those who could afford such memorials, and the assembled markers give a rare, concentrated glimpse of the craftsmanship that furnished a rural West Highland churchyard. Sheltered and cared for, they remain accessible to visitors close to the place where they have always belonged.