Use the links in the listing below to find related items

This photograph, taken in the first half of the 20th century by M.E.M. Donaldson, shows an early Christian cross slab in the burial ground of Cladh a' Bhile, near Ellary by the side of Loch Caolisport in Knapdale, Argyll. The slab dates from around the 8th century and is one of over 20 examples on the site. Cladh a' Bhile means 'burial ground of the sacred tree' and the cemetery may have been an early monastic site.

The decoration on this slab includes single and double elliptical spirals which are in keeping with the Irish character of stones found at Keills on Islay. It has been 'chip carved' which involves the removal of chips from the surface to produce a design below the original surface, thus helping to protect the carving from damage.

The photographer, Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson, was born in 1876 and came to the Highlands around 1908. She travelled extensively around the North and West Highlands, writing and taking photographs. Between 1912 and 1949 she produced many books on the social history and customs of the North and West Highlands. 'Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands' and 'Further Wanderings - Mainly in Argyll' are two of her best known works and both are illustrated with her own photographs. She died in a nursing home in Edinburgh in 1958, and was buried in Oban

This image can be purchased.
For further information about purchasing and prices email:
photographic.archive@highlifehighland.com

Find out more about the photographer - Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson