Where was the ‘world’s most precious object’ made?

By Elizabeth Hunter

A manuscript once dubbed ‘the most precious object of the western world’ may have been crafted in the Scottish Highlands, new research claims.

The Book of Kells is an illustrated account of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

It may have been created 1,200 years ago by monks in the Ross-shire village of Portmahomack - not the island of Iona as was previously believed, a study claims.

The exact origins of the book are unknown, however experts believed that after its creation, it was taken to Kells in Ireland by a group of monks who survived a Viking attack.

The book has been described as "the work of angels" due to its detailed lettering and illustrations - and new research is set to explore the monastery workshop that it could have come from.

Craftsman Thomas Keyes will conduct an experimental archaeology project to examine the parchmenarie - the workshop which contained animal skinning tools, which could have been used to craft hides into parchment.

Keyes has been awarded £2,779 by the Society of Antiquaries to lead the project later this year, where he will reconstruct the workshop's vellum tank and use it to create his own vellum - a thin parchment made from calf hide.

Experts say the workshop is the only example of an early-medieval vellum-working site in Northern Europe, and therefore could have produced the original manuscript.

Dr. Helen Spencer, head of research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, described the evidence, stating: "The footprints of craftworking buildings were found along with evidence for different stages of production, including the creation of vellum, pigments for the pages and glass stud mounts for the cover and bindings.

"Incredible gospel books were definitely produced at Portmahomack and Thomas Keyes's experiment could bring us closer to knowing whether the Book of Kells was one of them."

Thanks to the funding from the Society, Keyes will now be able to construct a replica of the washing tank found on site which was used to prepare the animal hides for the production of vellum using seaweed lye, traces of which were found in hearths near the original tank.

This method of experimental archaeology will create vellum samples which will then be compared with surviving manuscripts of the period, including the Book of Kells, allowing certain production techniques to be attributed to specific manuscripts which could help determine their provenance.

Keyes said: “The parchmenarie (vellum workshop) at Portmahomack is both unique and unusual.

"Usually, lime is used in the production of vellum parchment, but this is not found locally.

"Seaweed lye may have been used instead which is a less caustic process with bacteria growing in the solution to process hides.

"Pages from some manuscripts from the period, including the Book of Kells, have numerous pock mark holes which could be evidence of bacteria eating through the hides as they were being processed.

"Reconstructing the hide soaking tank will shed light on the finer details of this process and the parchment samples produced can be compared directly with original manuscripts.”

The results will be published online by Tarbat Discovery Centre and shared in a public lecture in late 2026. The new vellum will be used in other projects to create more examples of the type of manuscripts produced at Portmahomack 1,200 years ago.

Calum Thomson, Chair of Tarbat Historic Trust, said: “The Tarbat Discovery Centre has been delighted to work with Thomas over the past few years on the Stories on Skins project.

"The possibility that Portmahomack was where the Book of Kells was first produced is incredibly exciting for the region and this new research could provide more evidence for this. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our museum to learn more the early Pictish monastic site and see the four amazing manuscript pages already created by Thomas.”