THE most notable exhibit in the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre in Saltcoats is the Ardrossan Sarcophagus, writes George McGrattan.

The Ardrossan Sarcophagus - a stone coffin – was unearthed in the ruins of the church on the Castle Hill in late January 1911. Inside were leg bones, part of a skull and a few pieces of leather. Nearby was another skull.

The inside of the coffin was not completely flat but carved in the shape of a man with a raised pillow effect and a recess for the head of the deceased.

The lid of the coffin was very beautifully decorated with a Celtic cross, flowers and a sword. The coffin was so magnificent, it could only have been for a very special person. Unfortunately, the lid bore no inscription to identify its high-ranking occupant.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland sent two eminent archaeologists, Dr Thomas Ross and Professor Thomas Bryce to examine the coffin and its contents.

Dr Ross concluded that “we may be fairly certain that the stone coffin was made for some Lord of the Barony of Ardrossan in the thirteenth century”, making it then about six hundred years old.

Professor Bryce reported that “if the skull found within the coffin was that of the person originally buried therein, we may gather that he was a male of full adult age, probably at least thirty-five”.

Ardrossan Town Council had the responsibility of dealing with the sarcophagus. Some councillors, including Provost James Chrystie, wanted it moved to the Burgh Chambers in Montgomerie Street as did the Earl of Eglinton.

Others preferred that the coffin remained where it was with the prospect of being housed in a museum that would be built on the Castle Hill. In the event, the sarcophagus was taken to the Burgh Chambers.

On 13 October 1913, a spiritualist from Saltcoats, called Mrs Hunter, gave an account to the Ardrossan Burgh Surveyor in which she claimed that in the stone coffin reposed the body of an Earl who went to Palestine in the year 1199 and fought under Richard the Lionheart.

He was wounded in 1232. He was captured by the Moors and kept a prisoner for five years. He married a Moorish lady and was brought home on a private vessel in 1237.

He was buried with all his trappings including a valuable sword encrusted with precious stones. At his right hand was placed a box of jewels. About a hundred years after burial, the coffin was opened and the valuables stolen. How she knew that and how accurate her story is remains uncertain.

In 1950, Ardrossan Town Council let it be known that it no longer wanted custody of the coffin. Suggestions on what to do with it were received from the Earl of Eglinton, Saltcoats Town Council and the Barony Church, Ardrossan. The Earl of Eglinton proposed that the coffin be taken to the old burial place of the Montgomeries in Largs. Saltcoats Town Council wanted it for a museum it was considering opening. In the event, the coffin was taken to the Barony Church on 9 October 1950.

Seven years later, on 25 June 1957, a museum was opened in Saltcoats. It was the North Ayrshire Museum, now the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, and was created on the initiative of a man called Owen Kelly. The sarcophagus was not, however, one of the Museum’s original exhibits but was taken there in 1958.

The Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network or SCRAN is online learning service with many images and other media. SCRAN has a photograph of the sarcophagus with the a comment that “The coffin ... would most likely have been made by a French mason working on the construction of Kilwinning Abbey during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The base of the coffin is hollowed out in the shape of a man and the lid is decorated with an ornate Celtic cross, fleur-de-lys border and a sword. The sword identifies it as the last resting place of a Knight Templar”.

So, who was buried in the sarcophagus? The identity of the deceased is uncertain but there are some clues. Dr Ross said that the coffin was made for a Lord of the Barony of Ardrossan in the thirteenth century while Professor Bryce stated that the skull was of a male of full adult age, probably at least

thirty-five.

SCRAN claims that the coffin is the resting place of a Knight Templar. Members of Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society are conducting research into the high-ranking deceased and making progress.

Also well underway are the Society’s plans to hold the Ardrossan Castle Carnival on June 18 to commemorate the 470th anniversary of the meeting of the Privy Council of Scotland – the equivalent of the Cabinet – at Ardrossan Castle in 1546.

Attractions include archery, birds of prey, bouncy castle, face painting, horse jousting, jesters, medieval costumes, pipe band, stocks and sponges and tug o’ war. More details will be given in future Heralds.

Next week, the Herald will reveal the identity of the man who discovered the Sarcophagus on the Castle Hill in 1911.