For hundreds of years, pilgrims heading to Whithorn crossed landscape dotted with ancient churches and ornately carved stone crosses.

Such sculpted stones included grave markers of early Christians who lived through the centuries of conflict after the collapse of Roman authority.

Whithorn Priory Museum features a collection of stones dating from the tenth and eleventh centuries.



In 2004, most of the 60 complete and fragmentary stones were moved to Historic Scotland’s conservation centre for cleaning and recording. The museum was re-opened in Easter 2005, following a total refurbishment.

The project was carried out in partnership with the

• Whithorn Trust, a charitable organisation set up to research and interpret the history of Whithorn and
• Heritage Lottery Fund, which made a contribution of £50,000 to the work.

Before the refurbishment, the stones were displayed in rows, some partly embedded in concrete, in a building created to protect them in the early twentieth century.




The new museum uses the latest methods to support the stones without damaging them and ensures that visitors can move round them and view all their significant markings.

Conservation work for the project also led to the translation of 1,000 year old runes on one stone which implored the reader to “pray for Hwitu”, the name of a tenth century local woman.