Site: Tarbat Parish Church

Name:Tarbat Parish Church CISP No:TARBT
Place:Portmahomack (Port ma Cholmag) Grid Ref:NH 9100 8400 (GB)   Map
Parish:Tarbat (Tairbeart) Stones:1
County:Ross and Cromarty , Scotland Saint(s):Colman ; Colmán
Site Type:ecclesiastical

Site Notes

Tarbat is situated on the north coast of the Tarbat peninsula, by the sands at Portmahomack.

Higgitt/1982, 318, concludes that Tarbat was the site of an ecclesiastical centre with educated personnel with the knowledge and ability to write and decorate manuscripts in the Insular tradition.

Harden/1994, 221-227, argues that the enclosure which came to surround the ecclesiastical site, may have been an earlier secular, or non-christian enclosure. Harden also discusses the pieces of non-inscribed stone sculpture from Tarbat, and the discovery of eighth to tenth century metal-work and coins. The site also produced a Roman coin of the third century.

Harden/1996, 225, also cites Martin Carver as arguing that the coincidence of a beach site and coins from the Emporium of Quentovic in Gaul might indicate a `beach market site of the first millenium AD'.

For the metalwork and coins also see Graham-Campbell/1995, no. 29.

References

Stones