Did the iconic Book of Kells originate from Portmahomack?
COULD one of Europe’s most important medieval manuscripts originate from Easter Ross?
The Book of Kells, contains the four gospels of the New Testament, is traditionally thought to have been written around 800 CE on the Scottish island of Iona — however, scholars are now rethinking the manuscript’s origin.
Early-medieval scholar Dr Victoria Thompson Whitworth will present her latest research into the links between the Easter Ross village of Portmahomack and the Book of Kells, in an event hosted by the Tarbat Discovery Centre on January 30 at 7pm. Dr Thompson Whitworth will be joined by master craftsman Thomas Keyes, an expert in reproducing the techniques of medieval manuscript production. The event will take place in Edinburgh’s Augustine United Church and be live-streamed online.
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An increasing number of academics and museum professionals are questioning the accepted narrative of Iona as the place of origin for the Book of Kells — with a medieval monastery on the Tarbat peninsula gaining attention as a possible alternative. Dr Thompson Whitworth will contribute to the discussion by exploring questions such as “Is the Book of Kells a Pictish manuscript?” or “Could it have been written in Portmahomack?” and “Are materials used in the Book of Kells from the Tarbat Peninsula?”
In the 8th century, a large monastery was located at the site of St Colman’s Church in Portmahomack. Archaeological digs show that the monastery's monks had the tools, techniques, and skills to make manuscripts – and Dr Thompson Whitworth argues that the Book of Kells might well have been one of the texts produced there. The Picts lived in Scotland around 300-900 CE and left remarkable carved standing stones as their main legacy with no documents that have yet definitively been identified as Pictish — but did they perhaps leave behind the Book of Kells?
To book a ticket for the event, visit: https://buytickets.at/tarbatdiscoverycentre/1506358
