A ‘remarkable’ Pictish ring with an intricate setting has been uncovered at a Moray fort previously thought to have been ‘archaeologically vandalised’ by the construction of a new town.
The kite-shaped ring with a garnet or red glass centre had lain undiscovered for more than a thousand years at the Burghead fort before it was uncovered by a volunteer in a dig led by the University of Aberdeen.
Although known as a Pictish site, its historical value was widely assumed to have been lost when the town of Burghead was constructed in the 1800s, covering over much of the fort and dismantling the stone that remained for building.
Among the families encouraged to relocate to the new town to support the fishing industry were the ancestors of John Ralph – a former engineer and graduate of the University of Aberdeen who has enjoyed a 50-year association with his alma mater.
When he retired, John signed up as a volunteer for the Burghead digs after seeing a social media post by the University’s Professor of Archaeology, Gordon Noble.
Professor Noble has led excavation work, funded by Historical Environment Scotland, over the last three years which has shed new light on the importance of the site and enabled the development of 3-D reconstructions of how it might once have looked.
John, who describes himself as an ‘enthusiastic amateur’ had many moments over the two-week excavation – his third dig at the site - where he thought he had discovered something, only to for the experts to tell him he had a knack for finding ‘shiny pebbles’.
So when, on the last day of the final dig, he found something that looked interesting, he didn’t hold out much hope. It was only when he showed it to a fellow volunteer and his eyes lit up that he realised he might ‘have something’.
Professor Noble says that what he was presented with was ‘truly remarkable’. “John was digging and then came over and said ‘look what I’ve found’. What he handed over was incredible,” he added.
“Even before the conservation work we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting.
“There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way. We certainly weren’t expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house but that had appeared of low significance so, in typical fashion, we had left work on it until the final day of the dig.”
The ring is currently with the National Museum of Scotland’s Post-excavation Service for analysis and John, who grew up in Burghead, is delighted to have added his own piece to the puzzle in understanding the region’s Pictish past.
“It is a real thrill to dig up an artefact in the knowledge that you are probably the first person to see it for 1000-1500 years,” he said.
“It becomes a real guessing game of who owned it, what did they use it for and how was it lost.”
Professor Noble and his team will use the ring and other evidence uncovered on the dig to start to answer those questions.
Professor Noble added: “We will now look at the ring, evidence of buildings and other artefacts to consider whether the ring was crafted on the site and who such an important piece of jewellery might have been made for.
“We have some other evidence of metalworking and the number of buildings we have uncovered is quite striking. This further indicator of the high-status production of metalwork adds to the growing evidence that Burghead was a really significant seat of power in the Pictish period.”
Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Given Scotland’s remarkably rich history, it shouldn’t be surprising that that we are still uncovering important pieces of Scotland’s past, even where we least expect it. We are proud to have funded and supported the excavation work conducted by the University of Aberdeen, and are delighted that volunteer John Ralph played such a pivotal role in bringing it to light - literally!
“Whilst the materials used themselves are not particularly valuable in today’s monetary sense, this find is hugely significant for what it tells us about Pictish lives and society. We’re excited to find out more once our colleagues in the National Museum have finished their investigations.”
The public will be able to learn more about this find and the ongoing work at Burghead at an Open day to be held at the fort on Sunday September 8 from 10am to 4pm when they can talk to archaeologists, view Pictish stone carvings, a weapons display and see traditional leather working skills.
John’s story
‘Remarkable’ Pictish ring find marks 50 year association with University
They say a 50th anniversary should be celebrated with gold but for one former engineering student, marking five decades of his association with the University of Aberdeen led to the discovery of his own piece of history – a 1,000 year-old ring.
Graduate John Ralph’s stint of volunteering with the University’s archaeologists led to him pulling ‘a remarkable’ piece of Pictish jewellery out of the ground – at a site thought to have been ‘archeologically vandalised’ many years earlier to construct the town in which he grew up.
John answered a social media post from Professor of Archaeology, Gordon Noble, looking for volunteers to assist with excavations at Burghead in Moray.
The site was long known to have a Pictish heritage but before Professor Noble and his team began their excavations, funded by Historic Environment Scotland, it was widely assumed that the majority of its archaeological merit had been lost when the new town of Burghead was constructed, covering over large parts of the fort in the 1800s with the remaining stone reclaimed to build homes.
It was the construction of the new town that brought John’s ancestors to live in Moray to take advantage of the opportunities it offered for fishing and he says that the discovery has taken his family association with the area full circle.
John explains: “I had recently retired and saw a Facebook post looking for volunteers to help with the Burghead excavations.
“My sister still lives in Burghead and it sounded interesting so I thought ‘why not’. I have now joined three different digs there, each for two-weeks.
“I thoroughly enjoyed them all but my initial enthusiasm for ‘finds’ was somewhat dented by my knack of getting excited for ‘shiny pebbles’.
“I had found a few interesting items including bone pins and it was great being part of the team, which was the real draw.
“So, when I picked up a bit of earth from the final trench on the last day of excavations, I thought ‘here we go again’. It was only when I showed it to the volunteer next to me and he got excited that I thought it might really be something.”
What John had uncovered turned out to be a rare Pictish ring with a near-complete setting and band and a centre of garnet or red glass.
It has been described by Professor Noble as ‘truly remarkable’ and supports the growing evidence that the Burghead site was a significant seat of Pictish power. It will now with the National Museum of Scotland’s Post-excavation Service for analysis.
John added: “My ancestors were part of the movement of people encouraged into the new town to support the fishing industry – the reason that much of what remained of the fort was destroyed.
“It is good to think that I’ve given something back with this little piece of the puzzle of the past. I like to think of archaeology as a dot-to-dot picture and I am delighted to have been able to make my own little mark.”
The timing of the find also marks the 50th year of John’s association with the University of Aberdeen. He joined as an undergraduate in 1974 and completed both his engineering degree and a PhD at the institution.
He says he is delighted to give back as a volunteer but that being part of the excavation teams is as rewarding as finding the ring.
“Before I retired, I attended a session where one of the activities involved us thinking about what we get out of work – the new challenges, meeting people, working in a team, a sense of satisfaction. All of these things that we perhaps take for granted. They encouraged us to think about how we might replicate that when we retire.
“For me, volunteering with the excavations has done that. It can be quite challenging at times. I like to call it ‘extreme gardening’! But it is a wonderful combination of physical and thought-provoking work.
“It has been a real joy to work with Professor Noble and the other archaeologists and I have learned such a lot. It is wonderful to have interaction with students and to work alongside young people with different ways of looking at the world.”