Monument record MHG6773 - Finlarig

NH92NE 3 9911 2538.
A ruined chapel exists at Finlarig, near the old Castle of Muckrach. It is in a circular enclosure, formed by a ditch and a wall, about 85' in diameter. A fragment of a Pictish symbol stone was turned up towards the W side of this enclosure, where an ancient font was also found. The symbol stone, now in the N M A S (Acc No: IB 11) is a rectangular slab of mica schist, 3'6" x 1'5" x 2'6", incised with symbols on one face
J Stuart 1867; J R Allen and J Anderson 1903. <1><2>

The ruined chapel, reduced to turf-covered footings about 0.3m high, is rectangular on plan, measuring c. 10.5m E-W by 5.5m, and is situated within a small near-circular enclosure as described above, presumably the grave-yard. The exact find-spot of the symbol stone could not be ascertained.
Surveyed at 1:2500 scale.
Visited by OS (R L) 16 September 1966.

NH 9911 2538. Site is an uncultivated plot within a field known as Chapel Park. It cannot be ascertained whether the chapel had rounded corners as alleged by MacDonald (MacDonald and Laing 1969). The dedication is not known. The "enclosure", largely mutilated by ploughing, has much stone clearance over it. One upright stone is visible within the enclosure, probably a grave slab. The possible entrance noted on the S side of the enclosure (MacDonald and Laing 1969) may be recent mutilation.
Remains of chapel and enclosure.
Revised at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (N K B) 21 September 1970; A MacDonald and L Laing 1969. <3>

The fragment measuring 1.15m x 0.43m x 0.09m, is obviously part of a larger symbol stone. The face is incised with the remains of a crescent and V-rod symbol. Above this is the bottom of a Z-rod symbol possibly intersecting a rectangle. In the RMS (NMAS) Acc.no. IB 11.
Information from R Jones 1980.

Class I symbol stone bearing a divided rectangle and Z-rod above a crescent and V-rod.
A.Mack 1997 p.32 <4>

Site visited and photographed by John Halliday, 30/09/03. Highland Archaeology Challenge.
See assoc. docs. File. <5>

Access Audit 36 <6>

This site was included in a desk-based assessment carried out in November 2007. The chapel, enclosure and grave-marker were not to be directly affected by the proposed water main renewal works. However, in light of the potential for evidence of Late Iron Age to Early Medieval activity in the general area, a watching brief was recommended to observe the open trench. <7> The water main renewal works were quite some distance from the chapel site and no archaeological remains were encountered. <8>