"Sorting stones": monuments, memory and resistance in the Scottish Highlands

Abstract

First paragraph:  Alan: Well after we sort the stone we'll sort that one.  Duncan: Aye, we’ll sort our stone and then we’ll sort that stone.  These enigmatic yet forceful statements are taken from an interview carried out in 2001 with two men in their mid 40s and 30s respectively. Both live in Hilton of Cadboll, a small village on the seaboard of Easter Ross in north-east Scotland. This was my first interview in Hilton and I was nervous about how effective I would be. Rightly so, it turned out. My main aim was to explore the meanings and values attached to the celebrated Hilton of Cadboll cross-slab. 2 Yet Alan and Duncan were primarily concerned with its future destiny, which triggered heated discussion of a variety of seemingly unrelated issues and injustices. I struggled to structure the interview with little success, and at one point Alan interjected with his uncompromising statement about sorting stones, vehemently reinforced by Duncan. Admittedly a few drinks had been consumed during the course of the evening interview. Nevertheless, the anger which simmered underneath was unsettling and I was confused by the connections they seemed to be making