13th-century carvings at Kilchattan Old Parish Church on the Argyll island of Luing are at risk of being weathered away and Luing History Group are concerned they might be lost forever before they have been properly studied.
The carvings are believed to depict the ships of Scottish King Alexander II during his 1249 expedition to Argyll, or the fleet of King Haakon of Norway during his 1263 expedition which culminated in the Battle of Largs.
Speaking to the BBC, Mary Braithwaite of Luing History Group stated:
“There is one stone with a whole fleet of longboats. It’s quite dramatic. They have been associated with the Scots king, Alexander II, in 1249. My own theory is that at least some of them are Norse and more associated with Norwegian expeditions.”
“We would really like much more thorough research to be done on them. They are not preserved at all. They are completely in the open air. They have survived some damage through wind and rain. They are deserving of a lot more attention.”
