Work on an £18,000 Angus Burns memorial has uncovered a new element in the story of Scottish ‘outsider artist’ Adam Christie.
The memorial cairn at Hillside is to be built with stone donated from the old Sunnyside hospital, where Christie was a patient for almost 50 years.
The Shetlander used simple tools like an old nail and glass to carve distinctive stone heads.
And the cairn project has uncovered what is thought to be only the second piece Christie actually named.
Stone heads appear at auction
Montrose Burns Club recently secured a collection of his sculptures after they unexpectedly appeared at auction locally.
Crofter’s son Christie also crafted a stone dedicated to the Bard at the halt near Hillside where he rested on a Highland tour of 1787.
Burns and his pal Willie Nicol stopped to water their horses on the drove road at Rosemount, north of Montrose.
They were heading south after visiting the ancestral home of Burns’ father and family at Clochnahill in the Mearns.
The pair continued on to the Angus fishing village of Auchmithie and then home.
Montrose Burns club is leading the near £20,000 project to give the link new prominence.
Chance find
A clean-up of one of the Christie stones has now uncovered its title name hidden away for centuries.
Dave Ramsay, who has been fascinated by the Christie story for almost 15 years, said it was a remarkable chance discovery.
He was looking over the auction acquisitions with cairn project co-ordinator David Clark and Arbroath sculptor Brian Wylie.
“David removed the moss from the Kiltie sculpture,” said Dave.
“Brian Wylie, with his keen sculptor’s eye, noticed some lettering on the base of the sculpture and on closer inspection we could see the word Samson.
“We know that Adam had a keen interest in biblical figures.”
Named piece in island museum
David Clark said, “Managing to retain the large kilted figure as part of this collection was so pleasing.
“But now to discover it is a named stone has taken this to the next level.
“To date, as far as can be established, the only other named piece is his largest sculpture, Goliath, which is in Shetland museum.
“This discovery adds a totally new provenance dimension and great importance to the recently acquired collection.”
Dave Ramsay added: “This new discovery reminds us there are perhaps further undiscovered gems about the life and work of Adam Christie.
“We are delighted with progress on the cairn project.
“Brian has been commissioned to carve a piece of stone from Adam’s birth place in Aith, Cunningsburgh, Shetland, in the Christie style.
“I brought it back from a commemorative event in Shetland last September, celebrating the anniversary of Adam’s birth.
“Any individual, business or organisation wishing to sponsor or contribute to the new memorial can make contact through Montrose Burns Club’s Facebook page.”
Christie died at Sunnyside in 1950 and was buried in a pauper’s grave at nearby Sleepyhillock cemetery.
It is now marked with a plaque recognising his significance as an artist and with a stone carved in Christie’s style by Brian Wylie.
