A TEENAGER has unearthed long-lost medieval gravestones at a historic church graveyard in a discovery that is being described by experts as one of the “most exciting” in 20 years.

Mark McGettigan, 14, found what has turned out to be the first of three lost medieval sculptured stones, part of a unique and nationally important collection called the Govan Stones.

The new discoveries, which date to the 10th-11th centuries, feature crosses and Celtic interlace designs similar to those on the stones housed inside Govan Old Parish Church.

The stones shine light into an obscure period of history before the nation of Scotland existed, when warlords battled for control of the British Isles and Viking long ships caused mayhem along Scottish coasts and waterways.

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A total of 46 stones were found in the graveyard in the 19th century, and 31 of them were taken into the church for safe keeping.

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The remaining stones were displayed against the wall of the churchyard, under the shadow of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. In 1973, the shipyard building was demolished and scholars believed that the stones were destroyed in the process.

However, it now seems likely that many of these long-lost stones have survived and awaited rediscovery by Mark and the community dig.

Mark, who is a third year pupil from Lourdes Secondary School, said: “I was just prodding the ground to see if there was anything there and suddenly it made a noise and I realised I had hit something .

“Myself and two of the archaeologists worked out the area of the object and started to dig it out and clean it. I wasn’t too sure at the start what it was. But then we checked with the records and we realised it was one of the lost Govan Stones. I am extremely happy, in fact I’m ecstatic at what I helped to uncover.”

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Professor Stephen Driscoll, the University of Glasgow’s Professor of Historical Archaeology, is part of The Govan Heritage Trust, said: “This the most exciting discovery we have had at Govan in the last 20 years.

"The Govan Stones are a collection of international importance and these recovered stones reinforce the case for regarding Govan as a major early medieval centre of power.

“The discovery is very timely because the Govan Heritage Trust is embarking on a major refurbishment of Govan Old, which will culminate in a redisplay of the collection.

"In the coming months we look forward to continuing this community archaeological work to locate the other lost stones to assess their condition from a conservation perspective and to consider how best to secure their long-term future.”

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Councillor Kenny McLean, City Convener for Neighbourhoods, Housing and Public Realm at Glasgow City Council, said: “The unearthing of these stones is of international importance, and is all the more remarkable given that they were discovered by a 14 year-old enthusiast, and Mark deserves all the congratulations coming his way.

"The excavation was a stage of the public realm work that will make Govan Old and this part of Govan even more attractive for the people who live, work and visit there, and underlines the fantastic heritage of the area.”

The Stones and Bones community archaeology project is being funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal and Govan Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative.