Papil Stone

The Papil Stone was discovered in 1877 in the old churchyard to the south of Papil Kirk on West Burra, and is now in the National Museum. It had been reused as a grave cover for John Inkster, a local Baptist minister. A copy stands in the churchyard.

A tall, narrow slab, it features a distinctive circular crosshead, and carvings of monks and a Pictish lion. Below this are two “birdman” figures holding a human head between their beaks. These lower carvings differ in style from the rest of the slab, suggesting they were made at a different time.