Book of Kells May Have Originated in Scottish Highlands
Why this is here: The Portmahomack site is the only known early medieval vellum-working location in Northern Europe, offering physical evidence unlike Iona’s primarily documentary accounts.
Researchers suggest the Book of Kells, a 1,200-year-old illuminated manuscript, may have been created in the Scottish Highlands instead of Iona. A new project will investigate the possibility that medieval monks at a monastery in Portmahomack produced the book. Archaeologists previously discovered a vellum workshop, called a parchmenarie, at the site dating to the same period.
The workshop contained tools for preparing animal hides into vellum, including bone pegs, knives, and evidence of seaweed used to process the skins. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland awarded £2,779 to craftsman Thomas Keyes to reconstruct the workshop’s water tank and create vellum.
Keyes will compare his results to original manuscripts, looking for evidence of bacterial processes indicated by pockmarks on the pages. Findings will be published in 2026 by the Tarbat Discovery Centre and presented in a public lecture.