Romancing the Stone   —   Marriage Lintels and Date Stones close to you

Dr. Jim Mackay

Victoria Hall, Cromarty

Cromarty History Society’s next meeting will be in the Victoria Hall at 7.30pm on April 15th, the subject being ‘Romancing the Stone ‐ Marriage Lintels and Date Stones close to you’.

Dr Jim Mackay of the Kirkmichael Trust will tell the stories behind our local marriage lintels and date stones, with copious beautiful images of the often extravagant carving on these stones. The focus will be on Cromarty, but with examples drawn from every village in the Black Isle, as well as some from Easter Ross and Inverness. Jim will be relating the tales, sometimes sad sometimes amusing, of the people behind the inscriptions on these stones.

Dr Jim Mackay is Chair of the Kirkmichael Trust which maintains medieval Kirkmichael in the Black Isle, subject of an award-winning restoration. He is a popular speaker, his lively talks combining information with entertaining stories. He is the author of ‘Resolis “Slope of Light$rdquo; Guide to a Black Isle Parish’, ‘Tales from Kirkmichael’ and ‘Guide to Jemimaville and the Colony “Reachfar”) creative home of Jane Duncan, author’. Jim’s latest research project has been marriage lintels and datestones in the area, and his discovery of the names behind the Abertarff House initials some months ago reached the national press.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm in the Victoria Hal with a short AGM and will be followed by refreshments, £5 for non‐members.

Cromarty History Society now meets on the third Tuesday of each month, September‐April and occasionally during the summer